What research areas and academic news does the Cambridge Faculty of Economics highlight?

Updated

The Faculty of Economics at the University of Cambridge uses its homepage to surface two things at once: the research themes its academics are currently working on, and a rolling feed of news that shows those themes in action. From the page evidence, the visible research areas include international trade and geopolitics, religion and economic development, UK investment and long-term growth, and economics and data science. The news feed is regularly updated with awards, lectures, white papers, and media appearances, and visitors can browse it through "View all news" and "View all media mentions" links.

Research themes visible on the page

The homepage's Spotlight and news items point to several active research directions rather than a single fixed list:

  • International trade and geopolitics. Meredith Crowley's discussion of global tariffs at the ECB Annual Conference is described as part of a conference examining "the changing relationship between economics, geopolitics and international trade."
  • Religion and economic development. Professor Steven Durlauf delivered the 2026 SCORE Strand 3 Lecture on this relationship, and a new SCORE White Paper is described as "the most comprehensive assessment to date of research examining the relationship between religion and economic development."
  • UK investment and long-term growth. Professor Chadha's evidence contributed to a UK Parliamentary report on how the country can strengthen investment and improve long-term economic growth.
  • Economics and data science. The Economics and Data Science MPhil held a residential week bringing together industry experts, students, and alumni.
  • Teaching and learning innovation. A faculty team won a 2026 Eduventures Program Innovation Award for a "Learning by Doing" teaching framework developed in undergraduate Economics.

What the news feed shows

The Faculty News section functions as a dated, chronological record of academic activity. Examples from the page include:

Date Item Type
22 September, 2026 Meredith Crowley discusses global tariffs at ECB Annual Conference Conference participation
20 August, 2026 Oleg Kitov wins 2026 EEA Senior Award for Exceptional Teaching Award
21 July, 2026 Faculty team wins international innovation award for "Learning by Doing" Award
20 July, 2026 Professor Durlauf explores religion and economic development Lecture
10 July, 2026 New White Paper from SCORE initiative Publication
2 July, 2026 PhD student Lennart Niermann wins ECB Young Economist Prize Award
1 July, 2026 Dr Reich promoted to Professor Appointment
26 June, 2026 Faculty Awards 2025-26 Internal awards
17 June, 2026 Dr Oleg Kitov wins Pilkington Prize 2026 Award
11 June, 2026 Professor Chadha's evidence helps shape Parliamentary inquiry into UK investment Policy contribution
1 June, 2026 Economics and Data Science MPhil residential week Programme activity
1 June, 2026 The 2026 Cambridge Festival Public engagement

The mix is deliberate: research outputs (white papers, lectures), recognition (awards, promotions), policy impact (Parliamentary evidence), and teaching (innovation awards, residential weeks) all appear in the same feed.

How to browse news and media mentions

The page provides two entry points for following activity beyond the homepage:

  1. "View all news" — expands the Faculty News list beyond the items shown on the homepage.
  2. "View all media mentions" — collects external coverage, such as the Unherd item featuring Prof Chadha on UK bonds.

Because the feed carries explicit dates and is described as regularly updated, the most reliable way to track a specific research area is to check these two indexes rather than relying on the homepage snapshot.

What this tells you about the Faculty's focus

The homepage does not present a static departmental description. It leads with current activity, which means the research areas it highlights shift with what faculty are publishing, debating, and being recognised for. If you are looking for a specific theme — trade, development economics, data science, or policy engagement — the news and media indexes are where you can confirm whether it is currently active, and the dated entries let you judge how recent that activity is.