Professor Robert Lindley is founding director of the University's Institute for Employment Research which was established in 1981 and has been a professor in the Faculty of Social Studies since 1982. His main fields of research are related to the labour market and its interactions with other parts of the socio-economic system, especially in an international comparative context and regarding the design and impact of policy. He has served on many UK and EU advisory and related bodies. These include rapporteur to the EU Competitiveness Advisory Group appointed by the Commission President, joint chair of the EU Round Tables on the Social Dialogue, member of a group of four social scientists advising the Portuguese Presidency of the EU on the ‘Lisbon Strategy’, and consultant to the Commission on the evaluation of the National Action Plans.  During 2004-05 he was a member of the Research Careers Committee, chaired by Sir Gareth Roberts and set up by the Research Base Funders' Forum.  He has chaired the Association of Research Centres in the Social Sciences (2004-07) and is a member of the ESRC's Strategic Forum for the Social Sciences.

Robert Lindley was Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International Affairs and Equality and Diversity during 2005-07 and became Chair of the Faculty of Social Studies in August 2007.  He has been a member of the University Council since 2001 either as one of the eight appointees of the Senate or as PVC.

Academic Qualifications

BSc (Physics) University of London
MSc (Operational Research) London School of Economics and Political Science
PhD (Economics) University of Warwick

Employment

Research

Principal fields of research are concerned with:

• the inter-relationships between the economy, the labour market and the systems of education and training
• institutions, organisations and markets in European economic and social development, including European integration per se
• the political economy of labour markets
• the evaluation of policy
• modelling and forecasting labour market behaviour in a period of major demographic, technological and global economic change
  

Robert Lindley works on both competitiveness and social welfare, at international down to regional and organisational levels.  Particular issues of current interest are: the integration of research on labour, learning and innovation in the so-called ‘knowledge-based economy’; the relationship between the ‘economic’ and the ‘social’ and the scope for achieving mutually-reinforcing gains in efficiency and equity at international, national and organisational levels; and population ageing and its implications for the economy and the labour market.  He also has a special interest in the development of the research base, the role played by scientific evidence in the policy system, and the organisation of the policy development process.

His work in the above fields often has a strongly policy-orientated focus and much of it is now carried out in a multi/inter-disciplinary context and this influences the form of publication (particularly towards book chapters and publication in the series of major sponsors of research) and dissemination via inter-disciplinary scientific or policy-related conferences.

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