Deborah Mabbett

Deborah Mabbett is a Professor of Public Policy at the School of Social Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London. She holds a visiting fellowship at the Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institute (2023–2024). Her research focuses on how decisions impacting economic welfare are shaped by expert and politically contested arenas, emphasizing comparative studies of policy-making in the EU, central banking, and regulatory frameworks. Key interests include minimum wage commissions, pension governance, and the role of scientific expertise in public policy. Her work challenges assumptions about market neutrality and explores constraints in policy choices across national contexts.

Research highlights include studies on the EU’s single market, anti-discrimination law, and the political economy of the euro area. She served on the USS pension valuation panel (2018–19). Recent publications analyze London’s ULEZ emissions policy, central bank governance post-crisis, and gender dynamics in comparative political economy. Her articles appear in journals like Journal of European Public Policy, Socio-Economic Review, and The Political Quarterly.

Dr. Mabbett has secured grants from the UK Department of Social Security and European Commission, and consulted for the World Bank in Eastern Europe. Her work bridges political economy, regulatory studies, and institutional analysis, emphasizing equitable policy design in contested arenas.