Brief CV
Degrees
B.Sc. Pure Mathematics, University of Sussex; B.Phil. Economics, University of Oxford
Posts Held
1976. Lecturer in Economics, St Clare's Hall, Oxford. Consultant, Industrial Relations Research Unit, St. Edmund Hall, Oxford.
1977. Tutor in Economics, University College, Oxford. Appointed Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Economics, University of Edinburgh.
1978. Lecturer in Economics, UK Civil Service College.
1979-1980. Visiting Research Fellow, Copenhagen School of Economics. Visiting Research Fellow, Dept. of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
1981. Visiting Research Fellow, Arbetslivscentrum, Stockholm and Uppsala University, Sweden.
1982. Visiting Research Fellow, Uppsala University. Tutor in Applied Mathematics, Open University.
1985. Tutor in Economics, University of Stirling. Visiting Associate Professor of Economics, European University Institute.
1986-87. Jean Monnet Research Fellow, European University Institute.
1991-1992. Visiting Associate Professor of Economics, Queen's University, Canada.
1995. Appointed Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Economics, University of Edinburgh.
1998. Visiting Professor of Economics, Waikato University, New Zealand.
2001. Visiting Professor of Economics, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
2005. Visiting Professor of Economics, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
2008. Visiting Professor of Economics, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
2019. Honorary Fellow in Economics, University of Edinburgh
Invited Papers
I have accepted invitations to present papers at a wide range of institutions, including: Copenhagen School of Economics, Uppsala University, Arbetslivscentrum (Stockholm), European University Institute (Florence), Queen's University (Canada), Hamilton College/Colgate University joint seminar (USA), University of Melbourne, University of Waikato (New Zealand), University of Canterbury (New Zealand), Cornell University (USA), University of Trento (Italy), Chinese University of Hong Kong, Auckland University (New Zealand), National Chengchi University (Taiwan), London School of Economics, Stirling University, St. Andrews University, the University of East London, Kingston University, Staffordshire University, Queen's University (Belfast) and University of Hertfordshire.
Research Interests
(a) Economic Dynamics
This is a long-standing research interest, going back to my work on catastrophe models. It includes some joint work (with L.T. Oxley) on macrodynamics. This work emphasises the importance of non-linear dynamics, stressing the need for global (as opposed to local) analysis, and develops the important concept of robustness. The wide range of dynamics which can emerge from non-linear models is now recognised as being of importance in economics. For example, models involving chaotic dynamics are proving particularly fruitful. Joint work (with Oxley, Harrison, Yu and Lu) involves the detection of chaos in financial markets. Recent work has focussed on the use of generalised lag structures in growth models.
(b) Worker Participation and Self-Management
This is another area in which I have a long-standing interest. It includes topics such as workers' cooperatives, codetermination, profit-sharing and wage-earners' investment funds. Some of my research in this area is reported in my book Economic Democracy: The Political Economy of Self-Management and Participation. An argument developed in the book is that self-managed firms under capitalism should be partially financed by a new type of financial asset (performance bonds) which could be held by wage-earners' investment funds. My work in this field is both empirical and theoretical and crosses the boundaries of labour economics, industrial economics, theory of the firm and comparative economic systems. I am also interested in relevant sociological and industrial relations research in this area.
(c) Product Reliability
This research area is concerned with the determination of product reliability and the related issue of warranties. Topics covered include the effects of (i) different forms of competition (ii) regulation (iii) various forms of technical progress and (iv) demand shifts, on reliability and warranties. Markets to which this analysis applies include consumer durables, some intermediate goods such as silicon chips, some services such as rail transport and some utilities such as gas and electricity.
(d) Philosophy of Economic Thought
I am interested in the narrowness of mainstream economic thought, its hostility to pluralism and its frequent appeal to a mistaken notion of "rigour". It has been argued that the immunity of mainstream economics to outside criticism underlies its failure to predict the 2008 financial crisis, and its poor understanding of the relationship between that crisis and the resulting recession.
Main Research Grants
1979. Nuffield Foundation. For research on workers' cooperatives in Denmark. British Academy. For research on worker participation in Denmark.
1980. Danish Ministry of Education and Science. For research on aspects of the Danish economy.
1985. National Gas Consumers' Council. For research on the effects of the Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act, 1982 on competition in the UK gas industry. (With L T Oxley.)
1985-1988. Sea Fish Industry Authority. For research on production and remuneration in the UK fishing industry. (With L T Oxley, C J Roberts, S J Clark and S T Sayer.)
1990. Nuffield Foundation. For research on the financing of self-managed firms.
2008. Carnegie Foundation. To support my Visiting Professorship at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
Journal of Economic Surveys
I am a founding editor of the Journal of Economic Surveys, and served as one of the Journal's Managing Editors from 1987 until 2017.
Postgraduate Teaching and Examining
Mathematical Modelling (University of Edinburgh), Methodology (University of Edinburgh), Economic Principles for the MBA (University of Stirling)
I have supervised several Ph.D and M.Phil students at Edinburgh, served as internal examiner for the Ph.D and M.Phil degrees at Edinburgh, and served as external Ph.D examiner at the University of Northumbria and the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
PhDs supervised/examined
Euan Mackay
Andrew Park
Peter Sorensen
Fabian Zuleeg
Paul Walker
Undergraduate Teaching
At the University of Oxford
Microeconomics and quantitative economics (tutorials). (2nd and 3rd year)
At the University of Edinburgh
General microeconomics and macroeconomics. (1st and 2nd year)
International Economics. (4th. year)
Marxian Economics. (4th. year)
Economic Growth Theory (3rd and 4th year)
Comparative Economic Systems (3rd and 4th year)
Economics of Transition (3rd and 4th year)
Quantitative Economics (3rd year)
Economics of Self-Management (3rd and 4th year)
Microeconomic Theory (3rd and 4th. year)
Mathematical Techniques for Economics (1st. year)
Trade, Globalisation and Transition (1st. year)
Globalisation (3rd year)
Academic Lead for the MOOC Economic Democracy: The Cooperative Alternative, hosted on the edX platform.
At the Open University
Mathematical Modelling (2nd level course)
At Queen's University (Canada)
Economic principles (1st year)
Microeconomic Theory (intermediate)
Comparative Economic Systems (intermediate)
University Administration
I have been the School Academic Misconduct Officer for the School of Economics, a Personal Tutor, the International Director and the Recruitment and Admissions Liaison Officer for the School of Economics, and a member of the College of Humanities and Social Science Recruitment and Admissions Strategy Committee.
I served on the Senate of the University of Edinburgh from 2002 to 2005.
I have been a member of the University Northern Scholars Committee, organiser of the Economics Research Group Seminar, a member of the George Watson's and Daniel Stewart's (Political Economy) Chair Committee, a member of the Economics Chair committee, Convenor of the Board of Studies in Economics, Economics Department Social Convenor, Economics Department Examinations Officer, a member of the Faculty of Social Sciences Teaching (Board of Studies) Committee, organiser of the Economics Department Postgraduate programme, a member of the Faculty of Social Sciences Postgraduate Studies Committee, Unit of Assessment Coordinator (Economics) for the Research Assessment Exercise, the Social Sciences representative on the University Enterprise Committee, a member of the University’s Teaching Programme Review Panel, a member of the Management School & Economics Teachability Working Party and member of the Open Days planning group.
Other Information
I have been an academic referee for the Economic and Social Research Council. I have been an academic referee for the following journals: Economic Journal, Oxford Economic Papers, European Economic Review, Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Economics of Planning, Economics of Transition, Review of Political Economy, Journal of Economics and Business, Journal of Economic Studies, Bulletin of Economic Research, IMA Journal of Mathematics Applied in Business and Industry, Review of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations, Environmental Modelling and Software, Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), Cognitive Systems Research, Managerial and Decision Economics. I have been a book referee for Routledge, John Wiley, Unwin Hyman and Basil Blackwell.