Social Macroeconomics PhD Scholarship – Global Prosperity MPhil/PhD

The UCL Institute for Global Prosperity launches a new PhD scheme on Social Macroeconomics in collaboration with our research network Rebuilding Macroeconomics and the Global Solutions Initiative.

About the Social Macroeconomics PhD scheme

The UCL Institute for Global Prosperity's new PhD scheme in Social Macroeconomics aims to advance research on new approaches to the economy and the development of a new economic paradigm. The Institute for Global Prosperity (IGP) based at UCL and the Global Solutions Initiative (GSI) are interdisciplinary organisations committed to achieving shared prosperity for people and planet in the 21st century. Rebuilding Macroeconomics (RM) is a research network within the Institute for Global Prosperity which aims to make macroeconomics relevant to meet these challenges.

This scheme is part of the Institute's Global Prosperity MPhil/PhD programme. Joining our programme allows you to become part of a community of exceptional people striving to think bigger, challenge conventional orthodoxy and engage in exciting and thought-provoking research.

As part of this new scheme, you will have the opportunity to work and support research on various key themes which will also be linked to a new hub on Social Macroeconomics. We interpret the macroeconomy as a system to create and use knowledge in the context of fundamental uncertainty.

Main themes

1. Rethinking macroeconomics embracing fundamental uncertainty
2. Knowledge as a distributive and evolving system
3. New empirical measurements of human and planetary flourishing
4. Network and Agent Based Models to address complex macroeconomic issues
5. Industrial policies for in an era of challenges to security and sustainability

The research will be under the guidance and supervision of Professor Angus Armstrong (Professorial Research Fellow and Director of Rebuilding Macroeconomics at IGP), Professor William Hynes (Honorary Professor at IGP and Senior Climate Economist at the World Bank) and Professor Dennis Snower (Honorary Professor at IGP and Founder and President of the GSI). It will advance the next phase of Rebuilding Macroeconomics' work on Social Macroeconomics.

The hub supports interdisciplinary research and thinking to develop a new approach to the economy and a new paradigm to influence policy-makers and decision-makers including the G7 and G20 and corresponding Think7 (T7) and Think20 (T20) engagement groups.

Our approach to PhD training

The Global Prosperity MPhil/PhD programme will give you:

• A strong focus on innovative interdisciplinary research on new economic thinking that can advance global prosperity.
• Practical skills training via the Bartlett and the UCL’s Doctoral School.
• Encouragement to collaborate with your peers, colleagues from other disciplines and various citizen participants and stakeholder organisations.
• The leverage of our extensive network of internal and external contacts, including our foremost partners within UCL, policy-makers, think tanks, academia, the social impact sector, as well as overseas partners.

More information

The UCL Institute for Global Prosperity (IGP)

The IGP is a world-leading trans-disciplinary research institution with a central mission to rebuild and redefine prosperity for the 21st century. Professor Henrietta L. Moore is the Founder and Director of the IGP. The Institute works globally in many regions including Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East collaborating with multiple stakeholders to think about new approaches to the economy and to co-create dynamic and sustainable pathways towards quality of life, secure livelihoods, and economic and social wellbeing for people and planet.

Rebuilding Macroeconomics

Rebuilding Macroeconomics (RM) is a research network part of the IGP. Rebuilding Macroeconomics aims to transform macroeconomics into a policy relevant social science by putting direct human interaction in response to fundamental uncertainty at the centre of analysis. Professor Angus Armstrong is the Director. Professor Henrietta L. Moore and Professor Dennis J. Snower are part of the management team.

Global Solutions Initiative 

The GSI is a global collaborative enterprise comprised of a network of world-renowned thinktanks. It proposes policy responses to major global problems, addressed by the G20, the G7 and other global governance fora. The GSI was founded during the 2017 German G20 Presidency by the Initiative’s President Dennis J. Snower. The GSI is a stepping stone to the T20 and G20 Summits and supports the Think20 process for think tanks.

How to apply

Step 1: Check whether you meet our admissions criteria 

Step 2: Consider how your research topic relates to the themes included in the new PhD scheme led by the Social Macroeconomics Hub 

If you have any queries regarding the themes, please contact: igp@ucl.ac.uk 

Step 3: Write your proposal 

Your PhD research proposal is the central component of your application. We encourage you to invest significant time in making it as strong as possible. 

Your proposal should: 

• Consist of a target length of 2,000 to 2,500 words. 
• Include your aims, core research questions, a discussion of the relevant theoretical literature you will contribute to and develop, the methodological approaches you intend to use, details of how the research will be accomplished practically and a concise bibliography. 
• Make clear the foremost scholarly discipline(s) you wish to contribute to, and the nature of your intended contribution. 
• Explain in detail how your research topic relates to the Social Macroeconomics scheme and the corresponding themes led by the Social Macroeconomics hub. 
• Include one or two sentences about how you intend to fund your degree (see step six below). 

Step 4: Submit your application 

When your proposal is finalised, you should submit it along with the email addresses of referees, transcripts and your CV. Full details of what is required of your application, including the link for submitting your documents, can be found in the UCL graduate prospectus. 

The university will conduct a number of checks to ensure you are eligible to study at UCL. The department will then formally assess the application. While we aim to provide a decision within six working weeks of receiving a complete application and references, this may be longer due to other external factors. Ultimately, the UCL Graduate Admissions Office will contact you with an official, binding offer. 

Step 5: If eligible, apply for the IGP Social Macroeconomics Scholarship (optional) 

The IGP offers 1 fully-funded PhD Scholarship (tuition fees only) for students on the Social Macroeconomics PhD Scheme. Full details, including eligibility criteria, how to apply and deadlines can be found on the IGP Funding Your Studies Page. You do not need to have secured an offer of a place at UCL in order to apply for the scholarship, but you must have submitted your admission application as outlined in step 4. 

Step 6: Await your offer 

If you are not eligible for the IGP Social Macroeconomics scholarship, once your PhD application (for admission) has been formally accepted, you will be able to apply for other funding to support your studies on the programme including tuition fees, living, maintenance or study expenses. We encourage you to look widely for funding opportunities. A non-exhaustive list of funding opportunities is contained within UCL’s ‘Fund your studies’ page. 

Please note: Many funding opportunities have deadlines many months in advance of course start dates. Therefore, you should allow enough time to develop a competitive proposal, and for the subsequent assessment, when you apply. 

Contact us

If you have any queries about the Social Macroeconomics PhD scholarship or scheme, please contact us via email: igp@ucl.ac.uk