BA (Hons) (University of Sheffield ), MSc (University of Sheffield ), PhD (University of Sheffield ), PG Certificate in Higher Education (Aston University)
Assistant Professor in Industrial Economics
Department: Industrial EconomicsE-mail: David.Morris1@nottingham.ac.ukTel: +44 (0) 115 8467722
Location: B05 (North Building, Jubilee Campus)
David is a labour economist with a particular interest in how skills shape regional economic outcomes. His research challenges the dominant reliance on reductive proxies such as qualifications, instead advancing a place-based, context-sensitive understanding of skills. He is in the process of developing a distinctive voice in the field, with the goal of reshaping how skills are conceptualised in regional development policy and academic debate. He has published work on the impact regional skill gaps have on firm productivity, the importance of a truly regional perspective on skills policy, and the role of regional agglomeration in reducing skill mismatch. He contributes to the growing critical skills literature through publications in leading journals and through peer review and grant assessment work.
David's applied research has led to involvement in external work at local, national, and international levels. He has acted as a skills expert on regional growth panels, a quantitative expert on large-scale data projects, and has worked with organisations including the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on mitigating labour market tensions arising from the Syrian refugee crisis.
His current projects are nested in two areas. Firstly, he is exploring the role of skills in enabling the green transitionâ�"examining whether different skill sets are required and how evolving markets may have different needs compared to more established sectors. Secondly, he is investigating the interaction of place, agency, and skills through a bottom-up lens to understand why up-skilling initiatives often struggle in the regions deemed most in need of them.
David is a keen teacher and enjoys sharing his passion for economics with students. At Nottingham, he delivers a final-year module in Applied Econometrics, which covers modern econometric techniques including causal inference, panel data analysis, time series modelling, and introductory machine learning. He also teaches a final-year module in Public Choice (Political Economy), which explores how different actors influence policy and how standard economic rules can be distorted in the process of policymaking.
Areas of ExpertiseSkills, Skill gaps, Skill Mismatch;
Regional Labour Markets;
Quantitative Data Skills.