I am a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, and a Research Fellow at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn. I joined the University of Glasgow in 2018, following an Early Career Fellowship at the University of Stirling. I was awarded my PhD in Economics from Royal Holloway, University of London, in 2015.
My research lies primarily in Family and Labour Economics, with interests in how labour market conditions, education, and social policy shape individual and household outcomes. My work has examined the impact of local labour markets on domestic violence, the influence of education on early motherhood and marital sorting, and the role of financial constraints and gender in entrepreneurship decisions. More recently, I have studied the long-term effects of exposure to universal healthcare and the dynamics of low-paid employment. My recent Nuffield Foundation-funded project “Women in Multiple Low-Paid Employment” investigates how low-paid women combine multiple jobs and care responsibilities and the implications for wellbeing and economic security.
From January 2027, I will hold a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship to investigate whether minimum unit pricing policies in Scotland and Wales have reduced intimate partner violence. The project will provide the first evidence on whether alcohol pricing policies can contribute to preventing domestic abuse, with implications for future alcohol and public health policy across the UK.
Alongside my research, I am committed to supporting the economics profession and evidence-informed policymaking. I currently serve as President of the Scottish Economic Society, am an Affiliated Researcher at the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Public Policy and a Research Affiliate in the School of Health and Wellbeing. I also contribute to the Royal Economic Society’s Trusted, Accessible and Connected Data for Economics (TRACE) initiative, which aims to improve the quality, accessibility and use of UK economic data for research and policymaking. Previously, I chaired the Adam Smith Business School’s Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team, leading the School’s successful Silver Award application.
My research has been published in leading journals including the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, The Economic Journal and the European Economic Review. My work has received several awards, including the Royal Economic Society Prize and the Sir Alec Cairncross Prize, and has informed policy discussions within the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Government and other public bodies. I regularly contribute to public debate through media appearances and policy engagement, with my work featured by the BBC, STV, The Conversation and other national media.
Contact me: tanya.wilson@glasgow.ac.uk
Tanya Wilson 