Economics/Social & Public Policy

Economics and social and public policy is a combination that brings together the rigorous analytical framework of economics with the broader examination of how public policy is designed, implemented and evaluated. Economics provides the theoretical and quantitative tools to understand how individuals and societies make choices under constraint, how markets allocate resources, and what the effects of policy interventions are. Social and public policy asks how governments and other institutions address social problems, including poverty, inequality, health, education and housing, and how the evidence from economics and social research can inform better decisions.

At the University of Glasgow this four-year programme develops your economics training, covering microeconomics, macroeconomics, quantitative methods and economic policy, alongside substantive engagement with the theory and practice of social and public policy in the UK and internationally. A year abroad is built into the programme, giving you the opportunity to engage with different policy systems and academic traditions in another country, which is valuable for developing the comparative perspective that serious policy analysis demands. The combination of rigorous economics training and policy-relevant social science makes graduates genuinely useful in settings where evidence needs to be brought to bear on real political and social challenges.

Graduates pursue careers in government, public policy analysis, economic consultancy, international organisations, the charity and voluntary sector, and research institutes. The civil service, including economic advisers and policy analysts, is a common destination, as are roles in health economics, education policy, welfare analysis and social research. Central and regional government in Scotland and across the UK recruit from this combination, as do think tanks and academic institutions.

Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in economics, public policy, social policy or a related field, deepening their analytical capability for research or senior policy roles.