Felix Ritchie

Professor Felix Ritchie is an applied economist affiliated with the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), where he works in the Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance within the Faculty of Business and Law. His research focuses on government data policy, labor economics, data governance, and statistical disclosure control, with a strong emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration across law, computer science, and social sciences.

• Labor economics and low pay
• Data confidentiality, security, and protection
• Statistical disclosure control and Five Safes framework
• Evidence-based policymaking and public sector decision-making
• Economics of business and incentives
• Ethics and governance in data management

As Principal/Co-Investigator for the ADRUK-funded Wage and Employment Dynamics project and founder of the Data Research Access and Governance Network (DRAGON), he has secured £2m in funding through 48 competitive tenders. His work includes developing the Five Safes methodology and principles-based approaches to data governance.

Scientific Awards:

• ESRC Senior Strategic Fellow (2022)

Felix actively collaborates with government departments and institutions like the Open Data Institute, NHS Digital, and international agencies. He supervises PhD students in data governance, low pay, and government data policy and delivers CPD training on output checking and data ethics.