Joao Sousa

Joao Sousa is a Senior Knowledge Exchange Fellow and Deputy Director at the Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde. His work focuses on fiscal policy, macroeconomics, and business engagement. With over 10 years' experience as an applied economist, he previously held roles at the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), specializing in tax modeling and public finance analysis.

Education

• PhD in Economics (2024), Birkbeck, University of London
• MSc in Economic Policy (2012), University College London
• BSc in Economics (2011), Universidade do Porto

Research Interests

Sousa’s research examines the impact of government spending on economic growth, fiscal sustainability, and macroeconomic forecasting. He employs archival data from UK Parliament and advanced econometric techniques to analyze tax policies, public expenditure trends, and debt management strategies. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through evidence-based policy recommendations.

Recent Projects

• Scottish and UK public finances and macroeconomic engagement (2025–26), Principal Investigator
• Scottish Budget Analysis (Strand 2 & 3), Joseph Rowntree Foundation-funded (2025)

Expertise & Engagement

Sousa regularly provides expert testimony to Scottish and UK parliamentary committees and serves on the ScotStat Board. His advisory roles include analyzing Brexit’s economic impacts and forecasting public spending trajectories. He has led high-profile projects on UK fiscal sustainability and tax gap estimation.