Richard BlundellView profile
Professor
Sir Richard Blundell CBE FBA is the David Ricardo Professor of Political Economy in the Department of Economics at University College London and Co-Director of the ESRC Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy at the Institute for Fiscal Studies. He also serves as Principal Investigator on the Nuffield Foundation grant for the IFS Deaton Review and collaborates with the 'Inequality and Public Policy' Research Group at ZEW. With visiting professorships at UBC, MIT, and Berkeley, Blundell has established himself as a leading figure in economic policy analysis. Blundell's research focuses on inequality, public policy, taxation, and labor economics. His work examines the relationship between taxation, family labor supply, and consumer behavior while developing innovative microeconometric tools for dynamic panel data analysis. His recent research has centered on the IFS Deaton Review of Inequalities in the 21st Century, investigating dimensions of inequality across education, skills, and incomes, including the pandemic's impact. His methodological approach combines rigorous empirical analysis with policy relevance, addressing critical questions about labor market dynamics, consumption patterns, and tax system design. His publication record shows a consistent focus on inequality dynamics, with recent work analyzing gender wage gaps across the life cycle, the impact of technological change on earnings, and the relationship between innovation and social mobility. The 2024 publications particularly highlight his leadership in the IFS Deaton Review, addressing multifaceted dimensions of inequality through lenses of labor markets, firms, taxation, and public services. Blundell's scientific recognition includes: CBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List 2006 Knighthood in 2014 for services to Economics and Social Science Honorary Doctorates from University of St.Gallen, Norwegian School of Economics, University of Mannheim, and University of Bristol Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) As Director of the ESRC Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy, Blundell leads major research initiatives including the IFS Deaton Review, which has received substantial funding from the Nuffield Foundation. His work bridges academic research and policy application, with the Mirrlees Review providing foundational analysis for tax system design and the Deaton Review offering comprehensive insights into 21st century inequality. He has developed influential microeconometric methods, including the Blundell-Bond estimator for dynamic panel data models. Blundell maintains active research collaborations through ENTER (The UCL European PhD Network) and the ESRC Research Centre at IFS, mentoring the next generation of economic researchers while shaping policy debates through evidence-based analysis of taxation, labor markets, and inequality.
