Professor Sarah Brown

School of Economics

Professor of Economics

Sarah Brown profile
Profile picture of Sarah Brown profile
sarah.brown@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 3404
+44 114 222 3458 (fax)
Room C32, Elmfield Building

Full contact details

Professor Sarah Brown
School of Economics
Room C32
Elmfield Building
Northumberland Road
Sheffield
S10 2TU
Profile

Sarah graduated from the University of Hull in 1989 and gained her MA in Economics at the University of Warwick in 1990 and her PhD from the University of Loughborough and was appointed to a lectureship there in 1994.

Sarah was promoted to a senior lectureship in 2001 at the University of Leicester. She took up a Chair in Economics at the University of Sheffield in 2005 and was Head of Department from 2006 to 2011.

Sarah is a Research Fellow at the  and an Associate Fellow at the . She has been a member of the  since 2001. Sarah is currently the President of .

Sarah was a member of: the Grant Assessment Panel C of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) from 2010 to 2013; the REF 2014 Economics & Econometrics Sub-Panel; the Women's Committee of the Royal Economic Society from 2010 to 2015; the Steering Group of the Royal Economic Society Conference of Heads of University Departments of Economics from 2010 to 2016; and the Royal Economic Society Council from 2013 to 2018. Sarah was an Independent Member of the from 2015 to 2021. 

In 2012 Sarah was awarded a two-year Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowship for a project entitled Household Finances, Intergenerational Attitudes and Social Interaction.

Research interests

Sarah's research interests lie in the area of applied microeconometrics focusing on labour economics, the economics of education and household finances. She is interested in supervising PhD students in any of these areas.

Publications

Journal articles

  • Alzuabi R, Brown S, Kontonikas A & Montagnoli A (2025) . International Journal of Finance and Economics.
  • Alzuabi R, Brown S, Gray D, Harris MN & Spencer C (2024) . The European Journal of Finance, 30(9), 915-948.
  • Brown S, Harris MN, Spencer C & Taylor KB (2023) . Journal of Money, Credit and Banking.
  • Alzuabi R, Brown S & Taylor K (2022) . Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 100.
  • Brown S, Popli G & Sasso A (2022) . Journal of Regional Science, 62(2), 499-540.
  • Das K, Pareek B, Brown S & Ghosh P (2022) . Computational Statistics, 37(2), 837-863.
  • Alzuabi R, Brown S, Gray D, Harris MN & Spencer C (2022) . Oxford Economic Papers, 74(2), 473-497.
  • Brown S, Kontonikas A, Montagnoli A, Moro M & Onnis L (2021) . Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 95.
  • Brown S, Ghosh P, Pareek B & Taylor K (2021) . Journal of Empirical Finance, 63, 57-72.
  • Brown S, Gray D, Harris MN & Spencer C (2021) . Journal of Empirical Finance, 63, 96-117.
  • Brown S, Gosh P, Gray D, Pareek B & Roberts J (2021) . The European Journal of Finance, 27(16), 1581-1603.
  • Trinh T-A, Srivastava P & Brown S (2021) . Journal of Demographic Economics.
  • Brown S, Harris MN & Spencer C (2020) . Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 82(6), 1342-1361.
  • Brown S, Greene WH & Harris M (2020) . Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A, 183(3), 983-1004.
  • Brown S, Gray D & Montagnoli A (2019) . Journal of Financial Stability, 43, 97-115.
  • Zhu J, Pryce GB & Brown S (2019) . Urban Studies, 56(9), 1801-1817.
  • Brown S, Harris M, Srivastava P & Zhang X (2016) . Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A .
  • Brown S & Gray D (2016) . Journal of Economic Psychology, 53, 17-36.
  • Brown S & Taylor KB (2016) . Journal of Banking and Finance, 62, 1-14.
  • Mukherji A, Roychoudhury S, Ghosh P & Brown S (2015) . Journal of Applied Econometrics.
  • Taylor KB & Brown S (2015) . Review of Income and Wealth.
  • Brown S, Duncan A, Harris MN, Roberts J & Taylor KB (2015) . Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 77(6), 822-831.
  • Brown S, Harris MN, Prendergast J & Srivastava P (2015) . Industrial Relations Journal, 46(5-6), 398-417.
  • Brown S, Greene WH, Harris MN & Taylor K (2015) . Economic Modelling, 50, 228-236.
  • Brown S, Ghosh P, Su L & Taylor K (2015) . Journal of Empirical Finance, 33, 190-207.
  • Brown S & Wong WK (2015) . The Scientific World Journal, 2015(1).
  • Brown S, Gray D, McHardy J & Taylor K (2015) . Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 116, 361-378.
  • Brown S, Srivastava P & Taylor KB (2015) . Southern Economic Journal, 82(1), 122-151.
  • Brown S, Gray D & Roberts J (2015) . Economics Letters, 130, 47-50.
  • Taylor KB & Brown S (2015) . Economics Letters, 126, 22-24.
  • Brown S (2015) . Urban Studies, 52(6), 1169-1188.
  • Brown S, Durand RB, Harris MN & Weterings T (2014) . Journal of Economic Psychology, 45, 117-127.
  • Brown S & Taylor K (2014) . Journal of Economic Psychology, 45, 197-212.
  • Brown S, Ghosh P & Taylor KB (2014) . Journal of Banking and Finance, 46, 285-298.
  • Brown S, Hole AR & Kilic D (2014) . Economic Modelling, 41, 211-218.
  • Brown S, McHardy J & Taylor K (2014) . Economics of Education Review, 40, 43-54.
  • Brown S & Taylor KB (2013) . Economics Letters, 119(3), 276-279.
  • Brown S, Dietrich M, Ortiz-Nuñez A & Taylor KB (2013) Business Ownership and Attitudes towards Risk. Applied Economics, 45(13), 1731-1740.
  • Brown S, Dickerson A, McHardy J & Taylor K (2012) . Applied Economics, 44(35), 4639-4650.
  • Brown S, Harris MN & Taylor K (2012) . Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 84(1), 97-110.
  • Brown S, Ortiz-Nuñez A & Taylor K (2012) . Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 59(1), 47-70.
  • Brown S, Taylor K & Garino G (2012) . Review of Income and Wealth.
  • Brown S, Garino G & Taylor K (2012) Debt and Risk Preference. Review of Income and Wealth.
  • Brown S, Roberts J & Taylor K (2011) . Economics Letters, 113(1), 88-91.
  • Brown S, Ortiz-Nuñez A & Taylor KB (2011) . Economics of Education Review, 30(3), 493-506.
  • Brown S & Taylor KB (2011) . Economic Modelling, 28(3), 1317-1327.
  • Brown S, Mcintosh S & Taylor K (2011) . Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 73(1), 40-58.
  • Brown S, McHardy J, McNabb R & Taylor KB (2011) . Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, 20(3), 925-955.
  • Brown S, Dietrich M, Ortiz-Nuñez A & Taylor KB (2011) . Journal of Economic Psychology, 32(3), 425-433.
  • Brown S, Farrell L & Harris MN (2011) . Contemporary Economic Policy, 29(4), 605-619.
  • Brown S, Roberts J & Taylor K (2010) Reservation wages, labour market participation and health. J R STAT SOC A STAT, 173, 501-529.
  • Brown S & Taylor K (2009) . J ECON BEHAV ORGAN, 71(2), 563-578.
  • Brown S, Garino G & Martin C (2009) . ECON MODEL, 26(3), 689-695.
  • Brown S & Taylor K (2008) . ECON EDUC REV, 27(4), 387-401.
  • Brown S, Fry TRL & Harris MN (2008) . ECON LETT, 99(2), 414-417.
  • Brown S & Taylor KB (2008) Household debt and financial assets: evidence from Germany, Great Britain and the USA. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A, (Statistics in Society), 171, 615-643.
  • Brown S, Garino G & Taylor K (2008) Mortgages and financial expectations: A household-level analysis. SOUTH ECON J, 74(3), 857-878.
  • Amess K, Brown S & Thompson S (2007) . SCOTTISH JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY, 54(4), 447-474.
  • Brown S & Taylor K (2007) . J ECON BEHAV ORGAN, 63(3), 439-460.
  • Brown S, Sessions JG & Watson D (2007) . J POPUL ECON, 20(2), 445-463.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (2006) . ECON EDUC REV, 25(5), 498-509.
  • Brown S & Taylor KB (2006) Financial expectations, consumption and saving: A microeconomic analysis. Fiscal Studies, 27(3), 313-338.
  • Brown S, Farrell L, Harris MN & Sessions JG (2006) . JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY SERIES A-STATISTICS IN SOCIETY, 169, 849-863.
  • Brown S, Farrel L & Sessions JG (2006) . SMALL BUS ECON, 26(2), 155-172.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (2006) . SOUTHERN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, 72(3), 660-676.
  • Brown S & Taylor KB (2005) Wage growth, human capital and financial investment. Manchester School, 73(6), 686-708.
  • Brown S, Taylor K & Wheatley Price S (2005) . Journal of Economic Psychology, 26(5), 642-663.
  • Brown S & Pudney S (2005) . Bulletin of Economic Research, 57(3), 305-315.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (2005) . Review of World Economics, 141(2), 296-317.
  • Brown S, Garino G, Taylor KB & Price SW (2005) Debt and financial expectations: An individual- and household-level analysis. Economic Inquiry, 43(1), 100-120.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (2003) . LABOUR, 17(4), 543-569.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (2003) . Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 50(4), 492-506.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (2002) . Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 49(4), 407-417.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (2001) . Journal of Economic Studies, 28(6), 408-422.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (2001) . Journal of Labor Research, 22(3), 669-677.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (2001) . Applied Economics Letters, 8(2), 111-113.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (2000) . Applied Economics, 32(13), 1767-1774.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (1999) . Economics of Education Review, 18(4), 397-404.
  • BROWN S (1999) . Applied Economics, 31(2), 165-174.
  • Brown S, Fakhfakh F & Sessions JG (1999) . ILR Review, 52(2), 234-251.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (1998) . LABOUR, 12(4), 773-796.
  • Brown S & Sessions J (1998) . Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 45(5), 586-591.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (1997) . Applied Economics, 29(5), 581-590.
  • Brown S, Frick B & Sessions J (1997) . LABOUR, 11(2), 329-349.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (1997) . Regional Studies, 31(4), 351-366.
  • Brown S & Sessions JG (1996) . Journal of Economic Surveys, 10(1), 23-53.
  • BROWN SARAH, BUTTON KENNETH & SESSIONS JOHN (1996) . Contemporary Economic Policy, 14(1), 58-69.
  • Brown S (1994) . Applied Economics, 26(12), 1163-1175.

Working papers

  • Alzuabi R, Brown S, Harris MN & Taylor K (2022) Modelling the composition of household portfolios: a latent class approach. The Sheffield Economic Research Paper Series (SERPS), 2022019.

Preprints

  • Brown S, Harris MN, Spencer C & Taylor KB () .
Teaching activities

Prior to becoming Head of School, I was the the module leader for Classical and Contemporary Thinkers in Economics, which introduces students a wide range of approaches to economics, from Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes through to Amartya Sen and Daniel Kahneman. This module helps students to understand the historical roots of the discipline, as well as, contemporary developments in economics.

My approach to teaching entails not only introducing students to traditional as well as recent advances in economic analysis but also to develop critical evaluation skills so that students can assess alternative theories and approaches and consider possible areas of improvement, as well as their current and practical relevance.

My approach to teaching explicitly links teaching and research. Students are not just presented with a fixed set of theories or one approach to economics– they are encouraged to evaluate different approaches so that they learn about and engage with the process of research.