Simon Burgess

@profsimonb.bsky.social

660 followers 340 following 24 posts

Researching pupils, teachers and schools. Professor of Economics, University of Bristol. FBA. Views my own.

Videos

Economics 36%

Education 30%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Simon Burgess, Scott A. Imberman, Paul Nightingale , and 1 more Simon Burgess, Scott A. Imberman, Paul Nightingale, Ted Temzelides

Scott Lincicome @scottlincicome.bsky.social · 1d

New @nberpubs: "The Economic Impact of Brexit" www.nber.org/papers/w34459
"by 2025, Brexit had reduced UK GDP by 6% to 8%, with the impact accumulating gradually over time." 😲

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · 1d

Congratulations!!

Hope you treat it like a sports trophy and raise it above your head shouting your team.

Reposted by Simon Burgess

Al Roth @alroth.bsky.social · 4d

How to address the problem of poor children being assigned to poor schools, in England
marketdesigner.blogspot.com/2025/11/scho...
#econsky

School choice and performance gaps in England: a report by Burgess, Cantillon, Greaves and Cavallo

marketdesigner.blogspot.com

Reposted by Simon Burgess

Tim Leunig @timleunig.bsky.social · 5d

Important research on how to improve school results of poor kids. A Labour government will surely want to do this? Well done @simonburgess.bsky.social and co-authors.

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · 5d

NEW REPORT: Modelling and reforming school choice
By Ellen Greaves, @estellecantillon.bsky.social, @mariagraziacavallo.bsky.social and me.

Blog economics.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/2025/11/06/a...

Policy briefing
www.bristol.ac.uk/media-librar...

#EconSky #EduSky

1/9

Access to highly effective schools: The case for reform – Welcome to the Economics blog

How do we address the gap in attainment between the most advantaged and disadvantaged students in the UK? Pioneering research, led by the University of Bristol, reveals the reforms most likely to equa...

economics.blogs.bristol.ac.uk

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · 5d

Maybe of interest:

@woessman.bsky.social
@annavignoles.bsky.social
@hhsievertsen.bsky.social
@samfr.bsky.social
@timleunig.bsky.social
@nuffieldfoundation.org
@lindseymacmillan.bsky.social

9/9

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · 5d

Maybe of interest:

@dynarski.bsky.social
@camilleterrier.bsky.social
@matthewakraft.com
@barbarabiasi.com
@gzamarro.bsky.social
@kirabojackson.bsky.social
@hesseloosterbeek.bsky.social
@cohodes.bsky.social
@aaronsojourner.org
@joshua-goodman.com
@combeju.bsky.social
@odegroote.bsky.social

8/9

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · 5d

We also have a full report on methods, data, modelling and full results, a satisfying 110 pages long:
www.bristol.ac.uk/media-librar...

Many thanks for funding to Nuffield Foundation www.nuffieldfoundation.org

Hosted by Uni of Bristol Economics.
7/9

www.bristol.ac.uk

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · 5d

We consider many objections to the policy (see blog).

Just one: family background definitely more important than school;

BUT narrowing differences in family background is very hard for policy, so that route near-impossible. This policy reform is feasible and cheap and works.

6/9

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · 5d

This reform strikes a good balance between equity (more equal access to effective schools) and community (pupils and families in a school live nearby). Access to highly effective schools will raise GCSE scores for FSM-eligible pupils, reduce the attainment gap and ultimately impact inequality.

5/9

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · 5d

Very effective: the average effectiveness of schools to which FSM-eligible pupils are assigned under this reform is 16% higher than baseline.
Under the reform, almost all FSM-eligible pupils get their first choice.

Very targeted: 94% of all pupils are assigned to the same school as baseline

4/9

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · 5d

We propose a feasible, cheap, and effective reform to school admissions:

priority in school admissions for pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), up to 15% of seats per school.

We also modelled two other reforms but the FSM Quota reform was best: very effective and very targeted.

3/9

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · 5d

Using unique universal data on catchment areas, we pin down how geographic admissions priorities disadvantage poorer communities.

While effective schools are often nearby, their catchments do not cover these neighbourhoods, reducing choice and later attainment.

2/9

Reposted by Anna Vignoles, Stephen P. Jenkins, Joshua Goodman , and 3 more Anna Vignoles, Stephen P. Jenkins, Joshua Goodman, Gema Zamarro, Aaron Sojourner, Tim Leunig

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · 5d

Access to highly effective schools: The case for reform – Welcome to the Economics blog

economics.blogs.bristol.ac.uk

Reposted by Simon Burgess, Jack Stilgoe

Tes magazine @tesmagazine.bsky.social · 5d

A quota of 15% of school places should be given to pupils eligible for free school meals to ensure they have an equitable chance of attending an effective school, @bristoluni.bsky.social research suggests

Call for schools to have FSM pupil places quota

Giving pupils who receive free school meals priority for 15 per cent of places in schools could create a more equitable admissions system, researchers suggest

www.tes.com

Reposted by Simon Burgess, Cevat Giray Aksoy

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Richard S.J. Tol, Simon Burgess , and 6 more Joanna Bryson, Richard S.J. Tol, Simon Burgess, Alistair Munro, Rafael H. M. Pereira, Paul Lehmann, Kris Inwood, Shelly Lundberg, David Darmofal

Florian Ederer @florianederer.bsky.social · Sep 3

We usually rely on GDP, trade, or wages to study the past. This amazing paper flips the script.

It analyzes 630,000 paintings (1400-2000) to extract emotions and shows how art tracks living standards, wars, inequality, and even climate shocks.

(How is this economics? Everything is economics!)

Simon Burgess @profsimonb.bsky.social · Aug 22

Go on … switch it … what could possibly go wrong ??? (Note that I disclaim any responsibility)

Reposted by Simon Burgess

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez @alvarolaparra.bsky.social · Nov 22

In one of the most US-academic move ever, he’s wearing sneakers. Institutions matter.

Ivan Werning @ivanwerning.bsky.social · Nov 21

A great party at MIT to not forget…

Celebrating Daron Acemoglu and his Nobel award!

Happy new in the room was brimming.

Reposted by Simon Burgess

Matt Collin @mattcollin.bsky.social · Nov 25

Evidence that some media has the opposite effect on kids than detractors often assert:

In the UK, when digital TV rolled out, disadvantaged kids spent more time at home watching TV (seems bad) but also less time hanging out with antisocial peers (actually good)

academic.oup.com/ej/advance-a...

Reposted by Stephen P. Jenkins, Ludger Woessmann, Simon Burgess , and 3 more Stephen P. Jenkins, Ludger Woessmann, Simon Burgess, Todd Pugatch, Simon Wiederhold, Steffen Altmann

Henning Hermes @henninghermes.com · Jul 16

We are looking for a postdoc to work on exciting RCTs circling around scaling up mentoring interventions, starting in July 2026 💪🏻🚀

Amazing team at @ifoeducation.bsky.social & the perfect place to thrive with ifo, @cesifo.org + @econmunich.bsky.social 🫶🏻🌟

Please share widely 🙏🙏

Link below 👇

Reposted by Simon Burgess

Hans Henrik Sievertsen @hhsievertsen.bsky.social · Jun 9

Our paper made it to TikTok!

lnkd.in/e5U3ECp9

#econsky

Reposted by Simon Burgess

Joshua Goodman @joshua-goodman.com · Jun 4

Proud to have named this new seminar series designed to help education researchers navigate the new landscape we're in.

I hope the name conveys the optimism that there is a destination worth reaching on the other side of this.

Sign-up here for the first session: aefpweb.org/ev_calendar_...

Reposted by Simon Burgess

Prof Dynarski @dynarski.bsky.social · Jun 3

The Harvard Graduate School of Education started a small online master's program for education leaders during COVID

It has been a great success

Now we are launching an online program for *international* education leaders

Apps due in early July

www.gse.harvard.edu/degrees/mast...

Reposted by Simon Burgess, Matthias Doepke, Gabriella Conti

The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · May 22

NEW: Sure Start generated widespread, long-lasting benefits for children in education, health, absences, and SEND.

Every £1 of up-front spending on Sure Start could generate around £2 in total benefits over the long run.

THREAD on our new ‪@nuffieldfoundation.org‬-funded report:

[1/11]

Chart shows the effects of Sure Start on academic achievements by age, SEN support by age, probability of hospitalisation by age and criminal behaviour up to age 16.

Reposted by Simon Burgess

Paul Hufe @paulhufe.net · May 8

Day 3 of the 2025 Bristol Applied Economics Meetings (BÆM)! After two fantastic days on development economics, we continue with the meeting on “Gender, Diversity, and Human Capital”. Stay tuned for some excellent papers!

Reposted by Simon Burgess

Eleonora Guarnieri @eleonoraguarnieri.bsky.social · May 6

@saralowes.bsky.social delivers a keynote lecture on "Culture and Development Policy" discussing how culture shapes incentives, persists and evolves, and documenting cultural mismatches between policymakers and target populations

Reposted by Simon Burgess, Climent Quintana‐Domeque

Eleonora Guarnieri @eleonoraguarnieri.bsky.social · May 6

Welcome to the 2025 Bristol Applied Economics Meetings (BÆM)! We’re kicking off with Development Economics. We have an exciting lineup of speakers, incl. @saralowes.bsky.social as keynote and Devesh Rustagi & @deanyang.bsky.social as invited speakers. Stay tuned for one key takeaway per talk!

Reposted by Simon Burgess

Romesh Vaitilingam @econromesh.bsky.social · May 5

New funding & immigration schemes to attract top scientific talent from abroad to EU universities would have a measurable impact on European innovation over a 5-year horizon - 87% of top European economists agree @kentclarkcenter.bsky.social

#ChooseEurope

www.kentclarkcenter.org/filterable-c...

America’s Loss, Europe’s Gain? - Clark Center Forum

American science may be under threat. Last week the Financial Times looked at the potential impacts of the Trump administration’s cuts to science funding. As the FT reported: Last month, almost 2,000 ...

www.kentclarkcenter.org

Reposted by Simon Burgess

John Holbein @johnholbein1.bsky.social · May 4

"ChatGPT as Economics Tutor: Capabilities and Limitations"

econpapers.repec.org/paper/briuob...

Reposted by Simon Burgess

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