Planning next steps with ESCoE and the Fraser of Allander Institute
Coming to the end of a degree can be a daunting experience. We caught up with Leda who spent her summer on a 6-week Economics Futures placement with the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde. During the placement, she worked on an ESCoE project focusing on measuring the contribution of the voluntary sector.
Why did you want to take part in the Economic Futures programme?
“I’m doing an economics and finance degree at the University of Aberdeen, so I’m just in Glasgow for the placement and then I’m going back to Aberdeen for my final year. Before this, I was doing an audit placement in a financial services firm. I applied for the Economics Futures programme because I realised that I might want to go into something more economics focused. I wanted to be around people who can tell me more about a career in economics; I feel like there aren’t many platforms at my university to find out about that. There’s a lot to do with finance and accounting and lots of job adverts for these sectors, but not so much for economics.”
Tell us about the ESCoE project you’ve worked on.
“I’ve been working on a project about measuring the contribution of the voluntary sector, alongside ESCoE Research Associate Ciara Crummey. So, we’ve been trying to look at how the contribution of the voluntary sector is currently measured by the Office for National Statistics. This includes what data they’re using, where that data is coming from and trying to find a way that it could be a little more inclusive. The ONS is currently only able to get data from the Charity Commission for England and Wales. They then use that data to estimate the contribution of the voluntary sector of England and Wales and then scale it down for the population size of Northern Ireland and Scotland. So, any information about Scottish registers or Northern Irish registers never actually comes through the formula or the equation. Therefore, it’s not very representative of the entire voluntary sector. Additionally, not all charities will register or be able to register, so none of their data is really collected. We’ve been trying to look at a way to get that data in and to see if we can coordinate the way that the three separate charity commissions collect, store and use their data.”
What was your role in the project?
“My part of the project was researching the charity registers’ methods of collecting the data and seeing if there were any disparities between any of them. This includes who can be on the charity register, what different sectors the charities are from and whether there’s a specific sector that’s being cut out due to the registration threshold. I spoke to the different Charity Commissions and assessed the different things that need to change to make the process more inclusive in the future.”
What did you learn from working on it?
“It’s been helpful because I’ve been able to speak to a lot of professionals in the field, which I hadn’t really done before. For example, I had meetings with the Charity Commissions and the ONS. I started the placement with no experience of the voluntary sector and now I know a lot about it. It also gave me experience of leading interviews and how to do research properly. This will be particularly useful for my dissertation. Speaking to people at the Fraser of Allander Institute has also given me some possible ideas for topics.”
Why is economic measurement so important?
“The voluntary sector is a very good example because it’s not being measured very accurately. That affects the different policies surrounding it and the different funds that are invested into it.”
What advice would you give to another student thinking of applying to Economic Futures or a similar programme?
“Put a lot of work into the application and read up on all the projects before your interview. Seriously consider this placement because it’s so helpful in teaching you how to do research and document things properly. And if you’ve already finished a degree and done a dissertation, it will help you refine your skills before going into the workplace or onto further study. It’s an amazing opportunity.”
Economic Futures engages with undergraduate economics students, graduates and early career academics and delivers a new programme of work to help provide an eco-system for applied economic analysis. This includes delivering training and offering work experience opportunities across Scottish Universities and public sector partners.
Find out more about this ESCoE project on measuring the voluntary sector.