People

Professor Birgitta Rabe

Professor
Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER)
Professor Birgitta Rabe
  • Email

  • Location

    2N2.6.07, Colchester Campus

  • Academic support hours

    xx

Profile

Biography

I am Professor of Economics, interested in applied research in education, family and labour economics. I am Co-Investigator of the ESRC Research Cente on Micro-social Change and of Understanding Society. Current and recent work includes: - COVID19 and school closures - COVID19 and learning inequalities - Childhood obesity: impact of free lunches and of weight report cards - Early child development: the effects of breastfeeding and of childcare - Education and schools: effects of school resources, sibling spillover effects, interactions between school quality and parental investments - Maternal labour supply - Migration and residential mobility

Qualifications

  • PhD Political Science and Economics Free University of Berlin,

  • MA Economics Free University of Berlin,

Appointments

Other academic

  • Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex (2013 - 2019)

  • Research Fellow, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex (1/1/2009 - 1/1/2013)

  • Post-doc, Dept. of Economics, Ruhr University Bochum (1/1/2005 - 1/1/2006)

  • Post-doc, Max-Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (1/1/2001 - 1/1/2003)

  • Senior Research Officer, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex (1/1/2007 - 1/1/2009)

  • Research Fellow, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (1/1/1994 - 1/1/1998)

  • Reader in Economics, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex (2019 - 2021)

  • Professor of Economics, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex (2021 - present)

Teaching and supervision

Previous supervision

Paulino Font Gilabert
Paulino Font Gilabert
Thesis title: Three Essays on Human Capital: Investments, Resilience, and Spillovers
Degree subject: Economics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 4/5/2021
Yuliya Mikhailovna Kazakova
Yuliya Mikhailovna Kazakova
Thesis title: Three Essays in Health and Labour Economics
Degree subject: Economics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 3/12/2020
Franco Bonomi Bezzo
Franco Bonomi Bezzo
Thesis title: Essays in the Economic Sociology of Inequalities
Degree subject: Applied Social and Economic Research
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 31/7/2020
Ipek Mumcu
Ipek Mumcu
Thesis title: Essays on the Economics of Education and Gender
Degree subject: Economics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 5/8/2019
Andrea Catalina Blanco Moreno
Andrea Catalina Blanco Moreno
Thesis title: Subjective Expectations and Individual Decisions of Future Graduate Students.
Degree subject: Economics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 21/6/2018
Stefanie Hoherz
Stefanie Hoherz
Thesis title: Parents Between Work and Family Demands in the UK and Germany
Degree subject: Applied Social and Economic Research
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 30/8/2017
Lina Maria Sanchez Cespedes
Lina Maria Sanchez Cespedes
Thesis title: Contextual Violence and Migration, Family Structure and Adolescents' Behaviour: The Case of Colombian Armed Conflict
Degree subject: Applied Social and Economic Research
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 1/8/2014

Publications

Journal articles (16)

Rabe, B., Do school inputs crowd out parents’ investments in their children?. IZA World of Labor

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

Burn, H., Fumagalli, L. and Rabe, B., (2024). Stereotyping and ethnicity gaps in teacher assigned grades. Labour Economics. 89, 102577-102577

Greaves, E., Hussain, I., Rabe, B. and Rasul, I., (2023). Parental Responses to Information About School Quality: Evidence from Linked Survey and Administrative Data. The Economic Journal. 133 (654), 2334-2402

Blanden, J., Del Bono, E., Hansen, K. and Rabe, B., (2022). Quantity and quality of childcare and children’s educational outcomes. Journal of Population Economics. 35 (2), 785-828

Brewer, M., Cattan, S., Crawford, C. and Rabe, B., (2022). Does more free childcare help parents work more?. Labour Economics. 74, 102100-102100

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

Nicoletti, C. and Rabe, B., (2019). Sibling spillover effects in school achievement. Journal of Applied Econometrics. 34 (4), 482-501

Nicoletti, C. and Rabe, B., (2018). The effect of school spending on student achievement: Addressing biases in value-added models. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A, (Statistics in Society). 181 (part 2), 487-515

Blanden, J., Del Bono, E., McNally, S. and Rabe, B., (2016). Universal Pre-school Education: The Case of Public Funding with Private Provision. Economic Journal. 126 (592), 682-723

Nicoletti, C. and Rabe, B., (2013). Inequality in Pupils' Test Scores: How Much do Family, Sibling Type and Neighbourhood Matter?. Economica. 80 (318), 197-218

Rabe, B. and Taylor, MP., (2012). Differences in Opportunities? Wage, Employment and House‐Price Effects on Migration*. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics. 74 (6), 831-855

Rabe, B., (2011). Dual-earner migration. Earnings gains, employment and self-selection. Journal of Population Economics. 24 (2), 477-497

Rabe, B. and Taylor, M., (2010). Residential Mobility, Quality of Neighbourhood and Life Course Events. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A: Statistics in Society. 173 (3), 531-555

Rabe, B., (2007). OCCUPATIONAL PENSIONS, WAGES, AND JOB MOBILITY IN GERMANY. Scottish Journal of Political Economy. 54 (4), 531-552

Rabe, B., (2005). The role of firm pensions for job change in Germany. Schmollers Jahrbuch: Journal of Applied Social Science Studies. 125 (1), 63-74

Book chapters (6)

Blanden, J. and Rabe, B., (2021). Childcare and Children’s Development: Features of Effective Programs. In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance. Editors: Hamilton, JH., . Oxford University Press

Rabe, B., (2020). Schooling inputs and behavioural responses by families. In: The Economics of Education A Comprehensive Overview (second edition). Editors: Bradley, S. and Green, C., . Academic Press. 217- 228. 9780128153918

Rabe, B. and Green, B., (2012). Examining home movers and how they impact on ownership and housebuilding. In: Housing Market Intelligence Report 2012. Editors: Green, B., . Housebuilder Media. creators- Rabe=3ABirgitta=3A=3A

Rabe, B., (2012). Moving home: wishes, expectations, and reasons. In: Understanding Society: findings 2012. Editors: McFall, SL., . ISER. 21- 22. 978 1 85871 163 8

Buck, N. and Rabe, B., (2011). Local environments. In: Understanding Society: early findings from the first wave of the UK's household longitudinal study. Editors: McFall, S. and Garrington, C., . Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex. 99- 108. 9781858711584

Buck, N. and Rabe, B., (2011). Local environments. In: Understanding Society: early findings from the first wave of the UK's household longitudinal study. Editors: McFall, SL. and Garrington, C., . ISER. 99- 108. 9781858711584

Reports and Papers (7)

BURN, H., Rabe, B. and Fumagalli, L., (2023) Teacher grade predictions for ethnic minority groups: evidence from England. ISER Working Paper Series 2023-03.

Greaves, E., Hussain, I., Rabe, B. and Rasul, I., (2019). Parental responses to information about school quality: evidence from linked survey and administrative data

Brewer, M., Cattan, S., Crawford, C. and Rabe, B., (2016). Free Childcare and Parents' Labour Supply: Is More Better?

Brewer, M., Cattan, S., Crawford, C. and Rabe, B., (2016). Free childcare and parents’ labour supply: is more better?

Nicoletti, C. and Rabe, B., (2014). School Inputs and Skills: Complementarity and Self-Productivity

Nicoletti, C. and Rabe, B., (2014). Sibling Spillover Effects in School Achievement

Burton, J., Laurie, H., Uhrig, SCN., Bryan, ML., Desousa, C., Fumagalli, L., Jackle, A., Knies, G., Lynn, P., Nandi, A., Platt, L., Pudney, S., Rabe, B., Sacker, A., Sala, E., Taylor, MP., Wolke, D., Bottazzi, R., Crossley, T. and O'Dea, C., (2008). Understanding Society. Some preliminary results from the Wave 1 Innovation Panel

Scholarly Editions (2)

Del Bono, E. and Rabe, B., Breastfeeding and child cognitive outcomes: evidence from a hospital-based breastfeeding support policy

Blanden, J., Del Bono, E., Hansen, K. and Rabe, B., The Impact of Free Early Childhood Education and Care on Educational Achievement: a Discontinuity Approach Investigating Both Quantity and Quality of Provision

Grants and funding

2024

ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change

Economic and Social Research Council

Impact of school breakfast programmes

Nuffield Foundation

2022

Department for Education: Education and Outcomes Panel Study (Panel B)

NatCen Social Research

2021

Impact of the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy (2)

Nuffield Foundation

2020

School availability, parental labour supply and family wellbeing

Nuffield Foundation

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

The Research Centre on Micro-Social Change (MiSoC)

Economic and Social Research Council

The Research Centre on Micro-Social Change (MiSoC)

Economic and Social Research Council

2018

Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study Wave 12

Economic and Social Research Council

Reducing socio-economic inequalities in HE participation: the role of information, peers and mindset

Office for Students

2017

Impact of the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy

Nuffield Foundation

2016

Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study: Waves 9-11

Economic & Social Research Council

2013

Understanding non-reponse on Understanding Society

Economic & Social Research Council

2012

The Effect of Free Childcare on Maternal Labour Supply and Child Development

Economic & Social Research Council

2011

Who saves for retirement?

Prudential

The Effects of School Inputs on Educational Attainments

Nuffield Foundation

2009

Effects of Breastfeeding

Economic & Social Research Council

Contact

brabe@essex.ac.uk

Location:

2N2.6.07, Colchester Campus

Academic support hours:

xx