Robert Joyce – Deputy Director
Robert is a Deputy Director at Alma and a leading expert in applied microeconomics, policy analysis, and impact evaluation. He has a long track record of research and policy commentary on issues related to labour markets, welfare and tax policy, poverty, and inequality.
Prior to joining Alma, Robert worked for over 15 years at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). This included heading up the Income, Work and Welfare sector for seven years, and ultimately a role as Deputy to the IFS Director in which he helped run the IFS’s overall research agenda and organisational strategy. He also spearheaded ‘The Deaton Review: Inequalities in the 21st Century’, a groundbreaking multi-year study chaired by Nobel laureate Sir Angus Deaton, involving leading social scientists from around the world.
Alongside his research, Robert has devoted much time to communicating complex ideas in simple terms to policymakers and the public. He has advised Ministers, Shadow Ministers and Permanent Secretaries, appeared as an expert witness before numerous parliamentary select committees, and provided expert insight for hundreds of broadcast and print media reports.
Robert holds an MSc in Economics from University College London and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford. He has published in leading academic journals, such as the Journal of Public Economics and the Journal of Labor Economics.
In the rare moments when he’s not being kept on his toes by his research or his children, Robert enjoys indulging in his passions for travel, food, and sports – though these days, he’s more often found spectating than playing, eagerly vying for tickets to sought-after events like Wimbledon, even if he’s starting to suspect the ballot might be rigged against him.