Research Interests:
Stephen’s main research interests lie in applied micro economics, particularly within the labour market as well as regional issues. His research has primarily focused on labour market discrimination, self-employment, industrial relations, international and interregional migration, the effect of language on economic activity and voting behaviour. He has recently received research funding from the European Commission (to investigate the impact of East-West migration following EU enlargement), the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (to examine the performance of ethnic minorities in the UK labour market) and the ESRC (for a socio-economic analysis of recent Polish migration to the UK). He is currently employed in the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD), which is jointly funded by the Welsh Assembly Government (HEFCW) and the ESRC. The aim of the initiative is to draw together and build upon the existing expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods and methodologies at Cardiff, Swansea, Aberystwyth, Bangor and Glamorgan Universities. WISERD will embark on an ambitious data integration, primary research and capacity building programme in Wales.


Publications (Since 2006):

• “Welfare Participation by Immigrants in the UK”, International Journal of Manpower, 2012, forthcoming. (with C. Robinson)
• “Stay, leave or return? Patterns of Welsh graduate mobility”, People, Place and Policy Online, 2011, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 135-148. (with G. Bristow, M. Pill and S. Drinkwater)
• “The Post-Application Labour Market Experiences of Employment Tribunal Claims”, Human Resource Management Journal, 2010, forthcoming. (with P. Latreille and K. G. Knight)
• “Immigration and the Economy”, National Institute Economic Review, July 2010, No. 213, R1-R4.
• “What’s Behind the Figures? An Investigation into Recent Polish Migration to the UK”, in R. Black, G. Engbersen, M. Okolski and C. Pantiru (eds), EU Enlargement and Labour Migration, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam, 2010. (with J. Eade and M. Garapich)
• “Recent Trends in Minority Ethnic Entrepreneurship in the UK”, International Small Business Journal, 2010, Vol. 28, No. 2, 136-146. (with K. Clark)
• “Patterns of Ethnic Self-Employment in Time and Space: Evidence from British Census Microdata”, Small Business Economics, 2010, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 323-338. (with K. Clark)
• “The Labour Market Impact of Recent Immigration on Ethnic Groups in the UK”, Nordic Journal of Political Economy, 2009, Vol. 35, Article 4. (with K. Clark)
• “Dynamics and Diversity: Ethnic Employment Differences in England and Wales, 1991 – 2001”, Research in Labor Economics, 2009, Vol. 29, pp. 299-333 (with K. Clark)
• “Surveys and Data Sources on Gay Men’s Lifestyles and Socio-Sexual Behavior: Some Concerns and Issues”, Sexuality and Culture, 2009, Vol. 13, pp. 135-151. (with A. Collins, S.Cameron, F. Hickson, D. Reid, J. Roberts, M. Stephens, P. Weatherburn)
• “Immigrant Self-Employment Adjustment: Ethnic Groups in the UK”, International Journal of Manpower, 2009, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 163-175. (with K. Clark)
• “How Different are the British in their Willingness to Move? Evidence from International Social Survey Data”, Regional Studies, 2009, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 287-303. (with P. Ingram)
• “Poles Apart? EU Enlargement and the Labour Market Outcomes of Immigrants in the UK”, International Migration, 2009, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 161-190. (with J. Eade and M. Garapich)
• “The Labour Market and Investment Effects of Remittances”, in S. Ghatak and P. Levine (eds), Development Macroeconomics, Routledge, London, 2009. (with P. Levine and E. Lotti)
• “The Labour Market Performance of Recent Migrants”, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 2008, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 495-516. (with K. Clark)
• “An Investigation of Household Remittance Behaviour: Evidence from the United Kingdom”, Manchester School, 2007, Vol. 75, No. 6, pp. 717-741. (with K. Clark)
• “Who Are the Expressive Voters?”, Public Choice, 2007, Vol. 132, pp. 179-189. (with C. Jennings)
• “The Immigration Surplus Revisited in a General Equilibrium Model with Endogenous Growth”, Journal of Regional Science, 2007, Vol. 47, No. 3, pp. 569-601. (with P. Levine,  E. Lotti and J. Pearlman)
• “Segregation Preferences and Labour Market Outcomes”, Economics Letters, 2007, Vol. 94, No. 2, pp. 278-283. (with K. Clark)
• Dynamics and Diversity: Ethnic Minorities in the UK Labour Market, Report to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Policy Press, 2007, 65 pp. (with K. Clark)