Economist with a human touch wins Waikato Management School research award

A microeconomist with a focus on migration, labour economics and development issues is the winner of this year’s Waikato Management School Dean’s Award for Research Excellence.
An international leader in the field of empirical microeconomics, Professor John Gibson applies rigorous economic analysis to issues of importance for policy-makers and ordinary people alike.

His research agenda is wide-ranging; he has examined the evidence for ‘brain drain’ or ‘brain gain’, the extent of personal savings in New Zealand, the impact of temporary migration schemes for poverty reduction, mapping poverty in rural China, public sector pay premiums and improving the efficiency of remittance services in the Pacific among other topics.

“John stands out for his ability to ask novel questions, collect unique data and apply new analytical tools,” says Professor Frank Scrimgeour, Dean of Waikato Management School. “He is an exceptional economist, and regularly conducts research in collaboration with leading international organisations such as the World Bank and the United Nations.”

Ranked among the top five economics authors in New Zealand, Professor Gibson is a Senior Research Associate at the Motu Economic and Public Policy Research Trust and was awarded the NZ Institute of Economic Research 2008 Economics Award.