'Is economics useful for public policy?': A public lecture by Professor Gail Pacheco
| Date: | Tuesday 15 Oct, 11am - 12pm |
|---|---|
| Location: | AUT City Campus WA Building, WA Conference Centre Auckland New Zealand |
| Cost: | Free |
Inaugural professorial address by Gail Pacheco
What is the role of an economist in social policy circles? Professor Pacheco will speak to the importance of evidence-based research to inform social policy.
Her talk will begin with a focus on one noteworthy application – minimum wage research and policy in New Zealand. She will then discuss the role of big data, and in particular population-wide linked administrative data, drawing on examples where research has utilised the Integrated Data Infrastructure.
Her talk will conclude with a discussion of the potential benefits and pitfalls when using such big data, and the importance of giving equal weight and voice to the caveats. Gail Pacheco is a Professor of Economics and Director of the NZ Work Research Institute.
Her research is predominantly applied and empirical in nature, focused on the sub-fields of labour and health. She has considerable experience leading large-scale funded projects involving diverse stakeholder groups – in particular, collaborations across the academic and public sector, as well as practitioners in business and the community more broadly.
In 2018, Professor Pacheco was awarded the NZIER Economics Award for outstanding contributions to the advancement of economics and its applications to New Zealand. She has also recently been appointed as Commissioner to the NZ Productivity Commission Board.