Discover Economics A campaign by the Royal Economic Society to increase diversity among economic students

Economics plays an important role in our mission to promote better health and social care in the UK. This ranges from influencing how much the government spends on the NHS and social care, to helping to understand the choices made by individual patients, health care professionals and carers. Economic policy can help improve long-term resilience and sustainability in the health and social care sectors. It is therefore vital that economics is attracting a diverse and representative range of students who reflect the society they are helping to shape, bringing with them fresh perspectives, ideas, and valuable new knowledge including lived expertise for the sector. 

Aim of the project  

Discover Economics is a campaign by the Royal Economic Society, which aims to attract more diverse students, aged 15–17, to study economics. In its first three years Discover Economics has engaged 12,400 young people through events, outreach activities and the student ambassador programme, which currently provides training to 130 economics undergraduates across 31 universities. 

Economics students are currently disproportionately male and privately educated. One in six boys take A-Level economics as one of their subjects, but only one in seventeen girls do. Fewer than one third of university undergraduate economics students are women. Insights from Discover Economics show that students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, regardless of gender or ethnicity, are less likely to be awarded a degree in economics. 

The Discover Economics campaign aims to reach and recruit a more diverse and representative range of students into economics who will shape the future of the discipline, bringing with them new ideas, perspectives, and valuable knowledge for the sector. Funding from the Health Foundation supports them in their mission to change perceptions of economics and economists, in so doing broadening the appeal of economics and attracting more students from underrepresented and underserved groups to contribute to this field. Specifically, the Health Foundation funding enables them to continue their dedicated communication channels, including their campaign website and regular newsletter (with over 3,000 subscribers), support events for school and college students, and continue their student champion programme – sending university students into schools to deliver taster economics sessions. 

“Getting involved with Discover Economics has been an amazing experience that had allowed me to gain skills and connect with a wider network of similar students. I find the actual presentations very enjoyable, as the students are respectful and usually interested in learning more.” 
Discover Economics Student Champion

Through the Health Foundation’s ongoing work with Discover Economics, the REAL Centre identified an opportunity to support their mission further by offering mentoring to their student champions. In 2023, a pilot for the mentoring scheme was launched in which six REAL Centre economists were paired up with six student champions. This programme also feeds into the REAL Centre’s aim to contribute to and strengthen the health economics sector. 

Contact

To find out more, please contact the REAL Centre: realcentre@health.org.uk