Dr Olayinka Oyekola

About me:

My research interests are broadly fixed in the field of Applied Economics, where I look at an eclectic collection of questions. On the one hand, I am curious to understand how the dynamics of key macroeconomic indicators are moulded by the underlying forces in the inputs market, with a special focus on fluctuations in the prices/quantities of commodities. Consequently, my interest in applied macroeconomics involves working on issues in environmental and resource economics and energy economics. On the other hand, I am inquisitive about how history joins with the present in shaping cultural, demographic, economic, financial, health, political, and social outcomes of individuals and nations. The goal is to utilise different econometric methods in analysing micro- and macro-level datasets to produce and publicise empirically sound, policy-relevant studies for developed and developing economies.

So far, I have studied how financial market regulations affect income inequality, the long-term impacts of the European share of colonial population on contemporary life expectancy and mortality, the income-effects of globalisation, education, and institutions, the relative importance of foreign and domestic shocks for explaining business cycle dynamics, the role of historical state capacity for the persistence of culture today (with reference to religion), and the influence of democracy on inequality and health outcomes. My on-going research focuses on issues relating to economics of crime, policy evaluation, with particular reference to housing-market outcomes, and policy risk in climate change policies.

Over the last decade, and within UK higher education, I have had the pleasure of assisting and leading in developing, designing, teaching, and assessing on a range of courses at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including International Trade and Policy, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Economic History, Investments, International Finance, Industrial Economics, Mathematical Finance, and Quantitative Methods, as well as an inter-disciplinary course unit, Power and Value: Perspectives from Social Sciences, Economics and History, which combined topics in economics, politics, sociology, social anthropology, criminology, and social statistics, amongst others.

Overall, my teaching objective is always to enthuse students, spark curiosity in their thoughts, and help with improving their learning and academic outcomes in order to reach their potential. Economics of education is thus another area of research interest for me. My main focus is on topics at the intersection of curriculum decolonisation, wider participation, internationalisation, student engagement, experiences, and outcomes.

In September 2022, I joined the University of Exeter Business School as a Lecturer in Economics. Before this appointment, I have previously taught at Cardiff University, where I received degrees in Economics, and the University of Manchester.

I am married with two children, and part of a local church in Exeter.

Interests:

• Macroeconomics
• Applied Microeconomics
• Policy Evaluation

Qualifications:

BSc, MSc, MRes, and PhD (Cardiff University), FHEA