People

Dr Silvia Avram

Senior Research Fellow
Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER)
Dr Silvia Avram
  • Email

  • Telephone

    +44 (0) 1206 874824

  • Location

    2N2.6.04, Colchester Campus

  • Academic support hours

    By appointment

Profile

Biography

I am a social scientist working at the intersection of social policy analysis, labour and public economics. My research interests centre on economic inequality and the role of public policies and institutions in shaping it. I am also very interested in applying some of the insights produced by recent work in behavioural economics to the analysis of public policy. Most of my work focuses on examining the effects of taxes and transfers (from different perspectives) and on the low paid labour market.

Qualifications

  • PhD European University Institute, (2013)

  • Master in Research European University Institute, (2007)

  • Master in Social Policy Analysis University of Leuven, (2006)

  • BA in Sociology (Major) and Political Science (Minor) National School of Political Science and Public Administration, (2005)

Appointments

University of Essex

  • Research Fellow, Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), University of Essex (1/10/2014 - present)

  • Senior Research Officer, Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), University of Essex (14/2/2011 - 30/9/2014)

Other academic

  • Research Assistant, Social and Political Sciences, European University Institute (1/9/2008 - 30/9/2009)

Research and professional activities

Research interests

Distribution of income and wealth

Key words: inequality

Impact of social and fiscal policies on individual and household welfare

Key words: policy effects

The low-paid labour market

Key words: low-pay

Applying insights from behavioural economics to public policy analysis

Key words: policy framing

Conferences and presentations

Income shocks, insurance and the tax-benefit system

Invited presentation, IV PROMEBI-ESPANET Summer School, IV PROMEBI-ESPANET Summer School, Oviedo, Spain, 11/9/2019

Cant work or wont work: Quasi-experimental evidence on work search requirements for single parents

Invited presentation, CASE Welfare Policy and Analysis Seminar, LSE, London, London, United Kingdom, 28/3/2018

Teaching and supervision

Current teaching responsibilities

  • Panel Data Methods (EC968)

Previous supervision

Katrin Gasior
Katrin Gasior
Thesis title: The Heterogeneity of Social Policy Impact and Coping Mechanisms in Challenging Times
Degree subject: Applied Social and Economic Research
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 5/12/2023
Claudia Samano Robles
Claudia Samano Robles
Thesis title: Three Essays on Poverty and Inequality
Degree subject: Economics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 16/8/2021

Publications

Journal articles (15)

Avram, S., Harkness, S. and Popova, D., (2024). Gender and Parenthood Differences in Job Mobility and Pay Progression in the UK. Social Forces. 103 (2), 429-448

Avram, S., Brewer, M., Fisher, P. and Fumagalli, L., (2022). Household Earnings and Income Volatility in the UK, 2009-2017. The Journal of Economic Inequality. 20 (2), 345-369

Avram, S., (2022). Do workers like employer driven flexibility? Experimental evidence on work and pay uncertainty and willingness to work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. 31 (5), 685-697

Avram, S. and Popova, D., (2022). Do taxes and transfers reduce gender income inequality? Evidence from eight European welfare states. Social Science Research. 102, 102644-102644

Avram, S., (2022). Unstable jobs and time out of work: evidence from the UK. Socio-Economic Review. 20 (3), 1151-1171

Avram, S., Brewer, M. and Salvatori, A., (2018). Can’t work or won’t work: quasi-experimental evidence on work search requirements for single parents. Labour Economics. 51, 63-85

Avram, S., (2018). Who benefits from the ‘hidden welfare state’? The distributional effects of personal income tax expenditure in six countries. Journal of European Social Policy. 28 (3), 271-293

Avram, S. and Militaru, E., (2016). Interactions Between Policy Effects, Population Characteristics and the Tax-Benefit System: An Illustration Using Child Poverty and Child Related Policies in Romania and the Czech Republic. Social Indicators Research. 128 (3), 1365-1385

Avram, S., (2016). Social assistance performance in Central and Eastern Europe: A pre-transfer post-transfer comparison. Journal of European Social Policy. 26 (5), 428-441

Dronkers, J. and Avram, S., (2015). What can international comparisons teach us about school choice and non-governmental schools in Europe?. Comparative Education. 51 (1), 118-132

Avram, S., Levy, H. and Sutherland, H., (2014). Income redistribution in the European Union. IZA Journal of European Labor Studies. 3 (1)

Avram, S. and Dronkers, J., (2011). School sector variation on non-cognitive dimensions: are non-public but publicly supported schools more effective?. Educational Research and Evaluation. 17 (2), 115-139

Dronkers, J. and Avram, S., (2010). A cross-national analysis of the relations of school choice and effectiveness differences between private-dependent and public schools. Educational Research and Evaluation. 16 (2), 151-175

Dronkers, J. and Avram, S., (2010). A cross-national analysis of the relations between school choice and effectiveness differences between private-independent and public schools. Sociological Theory and Methods. 25 (2), 183-205

Donkers, J. and Avram, S., (2009). Choice and effectiveness of private and public schools in seven countries. A reanalysis of three PISA dat sets. Zeitschrift fur Padagogik. 55 (6), 895-909

Books (1)

Bennett, F., Avram, S. and Austen, S., (2024). A Research Agenda for Financial Resources Within the Household. Edward Elgar Publishing. 1802203990. 9781802203998

Book chapters (4)

Avram, S. and Popova, D., (2024). Peering into the black box: Using microsimulation methods to evaluate the gendered impact of taxes and transfers. In: A Research Agenda for Financial Resources within the Household. Editors: Bennett, F., Avram, S. and Austen, S., . Edward Elgar. 79- 83. 9781802203998

Bennett, F., Avram, S. and Austen, S., (2024). Introduction. In: A Research Agenda for Financial Resources within the Household. Editors: Bennett, F., Avram, S. and Austen, S., . Edward Elgar Publishing. 1- 13. 9781802203998

Bennett, F., Avram, S. and Austen, S., (2024). Introduction to A Research Agenda for Financial Resources within the Household. In: A Research Agenda for Financial Resources within the Household. 1- 13

Avram, S., (2020). Event History and Survival Analysis. In: SAGE Research Methods Foundations. Editors: Atkinson, P., Delamont, S., Cernat, A., Sakshaug, JW. and Williams, RA., . 1526421038. 9781526421036

Reports and Papers (3)

Avram, S., Brewer, M. and Salvatori, A., (2016). Can't Work or Won't Work: Quasi-Experimental Evidence on Work Search Requirements for Single Parents

Avram, S., Brewer, M. and Salvatori, A., (2016). Can’t work or won’t work: quasi-experimental evidence on work search requirements for single parents

Navicke, J., Avram, S. and Demmou, L., (2016). The effects of reform scenarios for unemployment benefits and social assistance on financial incentives to work and poverty in Lithuania

Scholarly Editions (4)

Avram, S. and Canto, O., Labour outcomes and family background: Evidence from the EU during the recession

Avram, S., Figari, F., Leventi, C., Levy, H., Navicke, J., Matsaganis, M., Militaru, E., Paulus, A., Rastrigina, O. and Sutherland, H., The distributional effects of fiscal consolidation in nine EU countries

Avram, S., Popova, D. and Rastrigina, O., Accounting for gender differences in the distributional effects of tax and benefit policy changes

Makovec, M. and Tammik, M., Baseline Results From the EU28 EUROMOD: 2011–2016

Grants and funding

2024

Roots of problem debt and policies to mitigate its consequences

Nuffield Foundation

2022

Tender: Gender equality and gender mainstreaming in the COVID-19 recovery

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)

2020

The gender gap in pay progression: job mobility and job ladders

Economic and Social Research Council

2018

LPC ITQ: An investigation of the impact of the NLW on earnings, with a focus on pay differentials

Low Pay Commission

2017

Risk aversion, earnings uncertainty and labour supply

Nuffield Foundation

2014

The Research Centre for Micro-Social Change (MiSoC)

Economic & Social Research Council

Contact

savram@essex.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1206 874824

Location:

2N2.6.04, Colchester Campus

Academic support hours:

By appointment

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