introduction
Mairi Spowage is a Principal Knowledge Exchange Fellow and the Deputy Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute. Her areas of expertise include economic policy, economic statistics, national accounting, public sector finances, and economic and fiscal forecasting. Mairi leads the Institute's work with various partners, including those in business, the public and the third sector. She is regularly asked to give evidence on economic and fiscal matters at Parliamentary Committees, such as the Finance and Constitution Committee and the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee. Mairi is leading various projects to improve regional economic statistics, looking at inter-regional trade, and business engagement and encouraging graduates into careers in analysis through the Economic Futures programme. She is also developing Fraser’s capacity-building CPD programme with the use of national and local economic data and statistics. Previously, Mairi was the Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Fiscal Commission and the Head of National Accounts at the Scottish Government and has over a decade of experience working in different areas of statistics and analysis, including transport, household surveys and performance measurement.
https://www.strath.ac.uk/staff/spowagemairims/
Who is the resource aimed at?
Students who want some answers to questions such as "why are all my clothes made in Asia?" and "how do I get a pay rise?" - this is for you.
How can the resource be used?
Listen at your leisure on the bus, while you tidy your room or while you work. Teachers - you might even want to play this to students a bit at a time, before gently (read: enthusiastically) encouraging your students to have a read.
How does the resource link to the curriculum?
Mairi's knowledge of economic policy and fiscal matters could offer valuable insights to A-levels students, particularly those interested in pursuing careers in economics, public policy, or related fields. Her work on improving regional economic statistics and encouraging graduates into careers in the analysis could also be of interest to students who want to learn more about the practical applications of economics and the ways in which economic data can be used to inform policy decisions.
How long will the activity take?
The entire episode lasts 48 minutes, but feel free to dip in and out!