Arun Advani

Arun Advani is a Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick and Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (CenTax). He holds multiple prestigious affiliations including as a Research Fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, member of the International Inequalities Institute, CAGE Research Centre, CESifo, and IZA. Advani serves as Editor of International Tax and Public Finance (managing Policy Watch), Associate Editor at Fiscal Studies, and on the Editorial Board of the Economics Observatory. He is also a Commissioner at the Wealth Tax Commission and co-chair of the Discover Economics campaign focused on increasing diversity in economics.

Advani's research focuses on tax compliance, tax design, and inequality with particular attention to high-income and high-wealth individuals. His work spans migration economics, environmental taxation, economic development, and tax policy in low- and middle-income countries. His publications consistently address critical questions about how tax systems function, how compliance can be improved, and how taxation affects economic inequality. Advani's research has significant policy relevance, regularly informing debates on wealth taxation, tax enforcement, and fiscal policy design.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on measuring and understanding top wealth and income shares, examining migration patterns of high-wealth individuals, and analyzing tax compliance issues. The research employs sophisticated empirical methods to address questions of significant policy importance, particularly around how tax systems interact with global mobility of capital and high-wealth individuals. His work often bridges academic rigor with practical policy implications, making substantial contributions to both scholarly literature and policy discussions.

Advani has secured substantial research funding from major UK research councils including UK Research and Innovation and the Economic and Social Research Council. His grants cover important topics such as the taxation of the super-rich, trust usage by the wealthy, diversity and productivity in economics, and the fiscal response to the Covid-19 pandemic. These projects typically involve collaborations with leading researchers across multiple institutions.

As Director of CenTax, Advani leads a research center focused on academic-quality work producing both scholarly papers and policy pieces that regularly receive media attention. The center has strong access to data and focuses on important questions at the intersection of taxation, inequality, and economic policy. His leadership in the Discover Economics campaign further demonstrates his commitment to broadening participation in the field of economics.