Applied Microeconomics
Applied Microeconomics
The Applied Microeconomics research group unites researchers working on a broad array of topics within such areas as labour economics, economics of education, health economics, family economics, urban economics, environmental economics, and the economics of science and innovation. The group operates in close collaboration with the CAGE Research Centre.
The group participates in the CAGE seminar on Applied Economics, which runs weekly on Tuesdays at 2:15pm. Students and faculty members of the group present their ongoing work in two brown bag seminars, held weekly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 1pm. Students, in collaboration with faculty members, also organise a bi-weekly reading group in applied econometrics on Thursdays at 1pm. The group organises numerous events throughout the year, including the Research Away Day and several thematic workshops.
Our activities
Work in Progress seminars
Tuesdays and Wednesdays 1-2pm
Students and faculty members of the group present their work in progress in two brown bag seminars. See below for a detailed scheduled of speakers.
Applied Econometrics reading group
Thursdays (bi-weekly) 1-2pm
Organised by students in collaboration with faculty members. See the Events calendar below for further details
People
Academics
Academics associated with the Applied Microeconomics Group are:
Research Students
Events
Dept Seminar: Peter Dolton (Royal Holloway)
The incidence of childhood obesity in the UK is rising steadily and with its adverse health consequences it constitutes one of the biggest challenges for public health. Several recent papers from the US claim to have identified a causal link between the proximity of a fast food outlet to a child's school on childhood obesity. This paper examines if there is any confirming evidence of this link in the UK. As contextual evidence three cohorts are analysed to track the changes in childhood obesity over the period 1962-1986 by examining the Body Mass Index (BMI) of three birth cohorts, born in 1946, 1958 and 1970. The first cohort grew up in a period food rationing up to 1954 and the last grew up in an era of rapid fast food outlet expansion - whilst the 1970 cohort can be thought of as a 'control group' with no treatment. These cohorts are used to track the broad changes in BMI over the post war period. The paper examines the relationship between childhood obesity and the proximity to fast food restaurants to a child's home, in some detail for the 10 and 16 year old children from the British Cohort Survey of 1970. Since we also know the precise location and date of opening of each fast food outlet - unlike other papers - we can measure the intensity and duration of exposure to the fast food treatment with precision. The results of our investigation suggest that there is no causal impact of fast food on childhood obesity. This finding poses a serious threat to conventional wisdom and we explore possible explanations for this finding and its consequences and policy implications