Dr Angus Holford

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Email
ajholf@essex.ac.uk -
Location
2N2.5B.07, Colchester Campus
Profile
Biography
I'm an economist based in the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex. Research Agenda: My research agenda is focused on the mechanisms in determining gender, socio-economic and ethnic differences in health, educational attainment and early labour market outcomes. At present, this means one strand of work focusing on the impacts of Universal Free School Meal programmes, school breakfasts and local food environments; and another on the economics of Higher Education, including analysing a ground-breaking longitudinal study of student life. External appointments: I serve on the UK Government's 'Evaluation and Trials Advice Panel', to support the design and implementation of robust, high-quality evaluations of new government policies. I am affiliated with the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England and as of July 2025 am the prospective Theme Co-Lead for Prevention and Early Detection in Health and Social Care, if the ARC is re-funded for the 2026-2031. I'm also a Research Affiliate with the IZA (Institute for the Study of Labor) and was a Research Fellow at the Behavioural Insights Team ('Nudge Unit') at the Cabinet Office, Oct 2012-Jan 2013. Research Interests: Evidence-based policy; microeconometrics; family economics; education inequalities; health inequalities. I'm available to discuss proposals for potential PhD supervision in any of these topics. Teaching: I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in recognition of my practice in teaching and learning support. I deliver the course Introduction to Impact Evaluation annually through the National Centre for Research Methods. I was the course convenor and lead lecturer on the MSc module "EC969: Applications of Data Analysis" run jointly with the Department of Economics ; which is a compulsory module for the MSc Applied Economics and Data Analysis and optional for MSc Economics; from 2020 to 2025. Supervision: I am first or co-supervisor for three PhD students, Stephanie Ruscillo, Dipanwita Ghatak, and Ziyi Huang; and co-supervised Tomasso Sartori , Sonkurt Sen and Joshua Fullard to Award. I'm available to discuss proposals for potential PhD supervision.
Qualifications
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PhD Economics University of Essex, (2015)
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Applications of Data Analysis (EC969)
Previous supervision

Degree subject: Economics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 27/6/2025

Degree subject: Economics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 10/6/2022

Degree subject: Economics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 4/8/2021
Publications
Journal articles (12)
O'Connell, R., Ludlow, A., Holford, A., Hamilton, L., Brady, L-M., Denyer, L., Feltham, A. and Wellsted, D., Adapt-Ed: co-designing adaptations to a whole school intervention to improve the uptake and impact of food provision in special schools – scoping research for a future trial. NIHR Open Research. 5, 50-50
Holford, A. and Sen, S., (2025). Racial Representation among Academics and Students' Academic and Labor Market Outcomes. Labour Economics. 96, 1-18
Delavande, A., Del Bono, E. and Holford, A., (2025). Imprecise health beliefs and health behavior. Journal of Health Economics. 102 (August), 103003-103003
Holford, A. and Rabe, B., (2024). Universal free school meals and children’s bodyweight. Impacts by age and duration of exposure. Journal of Health Economics. 98, 102937-102937
Morando, G., Costas-Fernández, J. and Holford, A., (2023). The Effect of Foreign Students in Higher Education on Native Students’ Outcomes. European Economic Review. 160, 104595-104595
Delavande, A., Del Bono, E. and Holford, A., (2022). Academic and non-Academic Investments at University: the Role of Expectations, Preferences and Constraints. Journal of Econometrics. 231 (1), 74-97
Holford, A. and Rabe, B., (2022). Going universal. The impact of free school lunches on child body weight outcomes. Journal of Public Economics Plus. 3, 100016-100016
Holford, A., (2021). Access and Returns to Unpaid Graduate Work Experience. Labour. 35 (3), 348-377
Holford, A., (2020). Youth employment, academic performance and labour market outcomes: Production functions and policy effects. Labour Economics. 63, 101806-101806
Fournier, AMV., Holford, AJ., Bond, AL. and Leighton, MA., (2019). Unpaid work and access to science professions. PLoS One. 14 (6), e0217032-e0217032
Holford, A., (2015). The labour supply effect of Education Maintenance Allowance and its implications for parental altruism. Review of Economics of the Household. 13 (3), 531-568
Holford, A., (2015). Take‐up of Free School Meals: Price Effects and Peer Effects. Economica. 82 (328), 976-993
Scholarly Editions (4)
Holford, AJ., Youth Employment and Academic Performance: Production Functions and Policy Effects
Holford, AJ., Do Parents Tax Their Children? Teenage Labour Supply and Financial Support
Holford, AJ. and Pudney, S., Survey Design and the Determinants of Subjective Wellbeing: An Experimental Analysis
Holford, AJ., Access to and Returns from Unpaid Graduate Internships
Grants and funding
2024
NIHR ARC Contract extension
National Institute for Health Research
Adapt-Ed: co-designing adaptations to a whole school intervention to improve the uptake and impact of food provision in special schools
National Institute for Health Research
Impact of school breakfast programmes
Nuffield Foundation
2023
Free School Meals, Diet Quality and Food Insecurity in Secondary School Pupils: a Mixed Methods Study
National Institute for Health Research
2021
Impact of the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy (2)
Nuffield Foundation
2020
Mind the Gap: Educational Inequalities during Covid-19
Economic and Social Research Council
2019
The Research Centre on Micro-Social Change (MiSoC)
Economic and Social Research Council
2017
Impact of the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy
Nuffield Foundation
2015
Inequality in Higher Education Outcomes in the UK: Subjective expectations, preferences, and access
Economic & Social Research Council
2014
The Research Centre for Micro-Social Change (MiSoC)
Economic & Social Research Council