Mr Michael Barrow

Biography

BA in Economics and Mathematical Economics from the University of Warwick and MA in Economic Policy and Planning at the University of Sussex.  I worked as an economist in the government economic service (working on housing finance policy and later on ports) before becoming lecturer and then senior lecturer at the University of Sussex.

Role

Senior Lecturer in the Dept of Economics; Director of Taught Programmes, School of Business, Management and Economics.

Community and Business

I was active for many years as a school governor in Brighton and Hove and also served on some local council working groups, mainly the formula funding group concerned with funding schools in the borough.

I have also worked with local businesses doing consultancy work (e.g. a major project for American Express evaluating their role in the local economy) and also events such as (government) budget presentations to business leaders.

My research interests lie mainly in the public sector, particularly the economics of local government and of education.  Unfortunately recent years have seen an increase in centralisation of public services with less of a role for local government.  There are signs that this trend is now reversing with a greater emphasis upon considering the locality as the focus for the delivery of (local!) public service.  Education has similarly become more centralised but paradoxically also more fragmented.  The reasons for these structural changes is an interesting area of study.

I have written articles or book chapters on the introduction of the poll tax ('community charge') in the UK, the incentives to spend and tax of local governments (from a game theory perspective); various reforms to education provision and funding; efficiency measurement in education and also on environmental matters such as transferable permits. 

Current teaching consists of Economic Analysis (microeconomics) and Corporate Finance at the graduate level; Introduction to Mathematics for Finance and Economics, Statistics Project at the undergraduate level.

Student Consultation

Thursdays, 2-3 pm and Friday 12-1 pm in Jubilee 278.  E-mail in advance to check that I am available on a particular day, sometimes I have other meetings.  

Barrow, Michael, Reilly, Barry and Woodfield, Ruth (2009) The Determinants of Undergraduate Degree Performance: How Important is Gender? British Educational Research Journal, 35 (4). pp. 575-597. ISSN 0141-1926

Barrow, Michael (2009) Statistics for economics, accounting and business studies. Prentice Hall/Financial Times, Harlow/GB. ISBN 9780273717942

Barrow, Michael (2008) Projections of post-compulsory education learner numbers in the South East of England. Technical Report. South East Learning and Skills Council, for the Regional Infrastructure Group.

Barrow, Michael (2003) An Economic Analysis of the UK Landfill Permits Scheme. Fiscal Studies, 24 (3). pp. 361-381. ISSN 01435671

Barrow, Michael (2003) Common Agency Issues in UK Local Government Finance. In: Reforms of Local Fiscal Equalisation in Europe. Forschungsinstitut fur Offentliche Verwaltung, Speyer, Germany. ISBN 3-932112-70-9

Barrow, Michael (1996) The reform of schools' funding: some case-study lessons. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 14 (3). pp. 351-366. ISSN 0263774X

Alexander, Carol and Barrow, Michael (1994) Seasonality and cointegration of regional house prices in the UK. Urban Studies, 31 (10). pp. 1667-1689. ISSN 0042-0980