LSE Consulting has been awarded a £3 million contract alongside UCL Consultants Ltd and the Institute of Fiscal Studies by the Department for Education (DfE) to establish a new UK research centre to strengthen the evidence base for education policy and support more informed decision-making across government.
The centre, to be known as the Economics of Education Research Centre (EERC), will bring together leading experts to improve understanding of the economic and social value of education and skills. This includes outcomes such as earnings, productivity and social mobility. The EERC will work closely with DfE, co-developing its research programme with government partners.
The centre is being delivered by a consortium led academically by the UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO), LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), with UCL Consultants Ltd acting as the contracting body appointed by DfE.
The EERC’s Executive Board will include Professor Lindsey Macmillan (UCL CEPEO), Professor Sandra McNally (LSE CEP and University of Surrey), and Christine Farquharson (IFS). The centre is expected to run initially until March 2028.
A key focus of the EERC will be developing new methods and tools to assess the impact and value of education and skills policies, alongside strengthening analytical capacity within government through closer collaboration with policymakers and analysts.
LSE Consulting is supporting CEP’s contribution to the EERC through its Education, Youth and Civic Engagement (EYCE) Hub. The Hub brings solid experience and interdisciplinary expertise in working on education systems, youth outcomes and civic participation.
Elisabet Vives, Lead of the EYCE Hub, said:
We are delighted that the consortium bid was successful and that CEP will be part of the Economics of Education Research Centre. This is an important opportunity to contribute to a field closely aligned with the work of the EYCE Hub. We are committed to providing strong project management support to help ensure the success of this collaboration.
You can read the School’s announcement of the partnership here:
https://www.lse.ac.uk/news/cep-announces-economics-of-education-research-centre-partnership