Tim Besley

Who is Tim Besley?

Timothy John Besley, FBA CBE served on the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee from September 2006 to August 2009 and is School Professor of Economics and Political Science at the London School of Economics, Director of the Suntory-Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines.

He attended Aylesbury Grammar School. He then studied at Oxford University, where he gained a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and an M.Phil. and a D.Phil. in Economics. At Oxford, he was one of the most successful students, evidenced by winning three George-Webb Medley Prizes for his BA and M.Phil research thesis.

His career began as a prize fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. He then served as an assistant Professor at Princeton University before returning to the UK in 1995.

He is also a research fellow of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a research fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research and a member of the Institutions, Organizations and Growth Program of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.

His research interests are focused on aspects of economic policy formation in developed and emerging market economies. He is one of the leading economists involved in restoring the study of political economy to prominence in mainstream economics.