Welcome to the Applied Microeconomics Cluster at the University of St Andrews
The research of the Applied Microeconomics Cluster comprises all areas of applied microeconomics, including labor, development, health, public finance, education, immigration, and economic history. Its members publish frequently in top economics journals, present in conferences around the world, are members of international research networks, and hold editorial positions at several journals.
News
- Welcome to the two newest members of the Microeconomics Cluster! Dr Luca Favero joins St Andrews as a Lecturer from a postdoc at the University of Essex while Dr Neil Lloyd joins St Andrews also as a Lecturer from the University of Warwick.
- David Escamilla-Guerrero has received a Visiting Scholar Fellowship at the University of California-Davis Global Migration Center, where he will visit during Fall 2025.
- David Jaeger was chosen as the President-Elect of the European Society for Population Economics at ESPE’s annual meeting in Naples on 12-14 June 2025. He will serve as the Programme Chair for ESPE’s Annual Meeting in Helsinki on 11-14 June 2026 and will deliver the Presidential address at ESPE’s annual meeting in Zagreb in June, 2027.
- David Jaeger was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Economic Society on 1 May 2025. He also serves as a Council Member and Trustee Board member of the RES through 2028.
Upcoming Events
- The Fifth Annual Scotland and Northern England Conference on Applied Microeconomics will take place from 5 to 7 May 2026 at the Crieff Hydro Hotel. Professor Stephen Machin from the London School of Economics will deliver the keynote. Paper submissions will open on 1 November 2025 and close on 31 January 2026. Acceptances will be announced by 15 February 2026.
Recent Publications and Working Papers
- Escamilla-Guerrero, D., Kosack, E., & Ward, Z. (2025) “The Impact of Violence on the Dynamics of Migration: Evidence from the Mexican Revolution,” Journal of Development Economics, 176, 103515.
- Leighton. M. and J. D. Speer (2025) “Family Background and College Major Choice: Evidence on Major Earnings Growth,” Education Finance and Policy, 2025.
- Escamilla-Guerrero, D. (2024) “All aboard! Railroad access and Mexico-US mass migration,” University of Oxford, Economic and Social History Working Paper 212, October.
- Leighton, M., A. Martine, J. Massaga, E. Bunzari (2024) “The causal effect of parenting style on early child development,” EdWorkingPaper 24-996, July.
- Bhatia, K. and M. Leighton (2024) “Teachers on the Move: Evidence from a Large-Scale Learning Intervention during Lockdown,” Journal of Development Studies 60(7):1002-1020.
- Escamilla-Guerrero, D., A. Papadia, and A. Zimran (2024) “The Effects of Immigration in a Developing Country: Brazil in the Age of Mass Migration,” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 32083, revised May 2024.
- Chollete, L., C. Lu, and I. Merkurieva (2024) “The Efficiency Premium in Executive Compensation,” SSRN Working Paper No. 4290936, March.
- Ávila‐Parra, C., D. Escamilla‐Guerrero, and O. Gálvez‐Soriano (2024) “Minimum eligibility age for social pensions and household poverty: Evidence from Mexico,” Economic Inquiry 62(1):175-196
Past Events
- The First Annual Fife Applied Microeconomics and Golf Conference was held on 2-4 June 2025 at the Crail Golfing Society. The program for the conference is here.
- The Fourth Annual Scotland and Northern England Conference in Applied Microeconomics was held on 6-8 May 2025 at Crieff Hydro Hotel. Professor Ludovia Gazzè (Warwick) delivered the keynote address. The program for the conference is here.