Dr Kevin Albertson

My profile

Biography

Prof. Kevin Albertson is an eclectic economist with a background in statistics and economics. He is a member of the Decent Work and Productivity Research Centre, is author/co-author of over 40 refereed academic articles and book chapters, and is co-author/editor of eight books, including the Haynes Guide ‘How to Run the Country’ and ‘Decent Work: Opportunities and Challenges’.

Kevin’s work ranges from business and social forecasting and the evaluation of government policy to the impact of globalised liberal markets on the political economic prospects of the UK; the ways, means and implications of privatisation and marketisation in the public sector; and the development of social, and responsible, innovation. He is currently working in the areas of employment and society in a low-to-zero (economic) growth economy, and the wellbeing aspects of relational – as opposed to transactional – socio-economic interactions. 

• Corcoran, M. & Albertson, K. (2023) ‘The Market Doesn’t Care’ Public Money & Management, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540962.2023.2244851

• Albertson, K. (2023) ‘The Problem of Politics in Communicating Economics’ in Macknight, V. & Medvecky, F. (eds.) Making Economics Public. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Making-Economics-Public-The-Hows-and-Whys-of-Communicating-Markets-and/Macknight-Medvecky/p/book/9781032254852

• Albertson, K. & Albertson K. (2022) ‘Social Capital, Mutual Aid and Desistance: A theoretically integrated process model’, British Journal of Criminology, azac093, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azac093 

• Olson, H., Painter, G., Albertson, K., Fox, C., & O’Leary, C. (2022). ‘Are Social Impact Bonds an Innovation in Finance or Do They Help Finance Social Innovation?’ Journal of Social Policy, 1-25 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-social-policy/article/are-social-impact-bonds-an-innovation-in-finance-or-do-they-help-finance-social-nnovation/9CA23A443E2ECB75DAE062D92EAF4FDE

• Albertson, K. & Whittle, R. (2021) ‘Things Can’t Only Get Better: Inequality and democracy over a life-span’, Ch.16 in Pollock, G. & Nico, M. (ed.s) The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Inequalities and the Life Course, pp.208-222, Abingdon & New York, NY: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Contemporary-Inequalities-and-the-Life-Course/Nico-Pollock/p/book/9781138601505

• Albertson, K., de Saille, S., Pandey, P., Amanatidou, E., Arthur, K.N.A., van Oudheusden, M. and Medvecky, F. (2021) ‘An RRI for the Present Moment: Relational and ‘well-up’ innovation’, Journal of Responsible Innovation, 8(2): 292-299. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23299460.2021.1961066

• Christie, Antoniadou, Albertson and Crowder (eds.) (2021) “Decent Work: Opportunities and challenges” is out now and available from Emerald. https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/Decent-Work/?k=9781801175876

• Albertson, Corcoran and Phillips (eds.) (2020)  “Marketisation and Privatisation in Criminal Justice” is out now and available from Policy Press. https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/marketisation-and-privatisation-in-criminal-justice

• de Saille, Medvecky, van Oudheusden, Albertson, Amanatidou, Birabi and Pansera (2020) “Responsibility Beyond Growth A Case for Responsible Stagnation” is out now and available from Policy Press. https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/responsibility-beyond-growth

• To read “1979 and all that”, a conservative critique of the neo-liberal policies established in the 1980s please go to https://academic.oup.com/cje/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/cje/bez037/5550923

Words of wisdom

A trouble shared is a trouble halved; a joy shared is a joy doubled.

Other academic service (administration and management)

  • Faculty Head – Research Ethics and Governance
  • Unit Leader – Econometrics: Analysis and Forecasting;
  • Final year (undergraduate) and masters dissertation supervision
  • Post-graduate Research degree supervision

Teaching

Why study…

We are all economists – but some of us are more happy than others to admit it perhaps. Ultimately, many, if not most, of the problems we face individually and globally have an economic dimension. Thus, we all use economic logic in our personal everyday decisions, and such an approach can help us to understand how to take more control of our lives.

Economics doesn’t only relate to the personal level of course:

• Microeconomics can explain how businesses and individuals plan and govern their actions; and

• Behavioural economics can explain some of the biases which impact on our decision-making;

• Macroeconomics is the branch of the subject which considers how the sum total of millions of personally rational actions impact on the wellbeing of nations and the globe. In some areas, (pollution is an obvious example) the actions of individuals must be governed with the wellbeing of the system in mind;

• Econometrics is the means by which we can test our economic theories using data.

An economics degree opens the door to understanding, and economics is a highly employable skill as well. Also, it is an enjoyable discipline with which to engage.

Subject areas

Economics, Policy Analysis, Forecasting

Supervision

• Exploration of how financial planners determine investment risk capacity for investors using a grounded theory approach

• A Critical Examination of Young People’s Consumption Through Social Media in an Age of Uncertainty

• Sustainable Development Goals and Foreign Direct Investment Inflow

• Co-creating desistance through personalised engagement and positive relationships

• Detecting Financial Fraud and Crimes in Capital Markets: a Study of Data-driven and Computational Approaches

• Students’ Approaches to Learning Within the Discipline of Accounting

• Marketplace Metacognition and Private-Sector Nudges

I welcome applications from those who are interested in the economic and political economic analysis of social concerns; social policy; business; and politics.

Research outputs

Current and Recent Projects

Meadows, L., Senior, P. and Albertson K. (2014) Evaluation of Pre-sentence, Post-conviction Victim Offender Conferencing Pilot: Interim Report, Sheffield: Sheffield Hallam University (commissioned by the Ministry of Justice)

Albertson, K., Ellingworth, D. and Wong, K. (2013) Cost benefit analysis - Sussex IOM, Sheffield: Sheffield Hallam University (commissioned by the Ministry of Justice). Available at http://www.sussexcriminaljusticeboard.org.uk/media/476235/iom_sussex_evaluation.pdf

Fox, C, K Albertson, K Williams and M Ellison (2011) The Predicted Costs and Benefits of an Alcohol Treatment Requirement to be delivered by Acorn Treatment and Housing, Stockport: Acorn Housing and Treatment (commissioned by Acorn Housing and Treatment).

Albertson, K, D Ellingworth and C Fox (2010) Break Even Analysis of Intensive Alternatives to Custody Programme, Sheffield: Sheffield Hallam University (commissioned by the Ministry of Justice).

Fox, C, D Ellingworth and K Albertson (2010) Intensive Alternatives to Custody: Impact feasibility study, Sheffield: Sheffield Hallam University (commissioned by the Ministry of Justice).

Fox, C, K Albertson, P Williams, A Provan and A Woods, A. (2010) Choose Change: Second Interim report, Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University (commissioned by Greater Manchester Probation Service).

Wickens, A, S Earnshaw, C Fox and K Albertson (2010) The costs, barriers and benefits of involving volunteers from under-represented groups: Final Report, Birmingham: Commission for the Compact (commissioned by The Commission for the Compact).

Fox, C, D Ellingworth and K Albertson (2009) Economic Review of Cheshire Domestic Abuse Family Safety Unit, Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University (commissioned by Cheshire County Council).

Fox, C, G Pollock and K Albertson (2008) An economic evaluation of young carers interventions, Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University (commissioned by The CrossRoads Association).

Aylen J, G Cavan and K Albertson (2007) The best strategy for mitigating moorland wildfire risk: a report to Moors for the Future. Moors for the Future small grant A79419, Publisher, Castleton.