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Institute co-founder Diane Coyle recognised in King’s Birthday Honours List

Diane Coyle

Dame Diane Coyle

Professor Diane Coyle, a co-founder of The Productivity Institute, received the prestigious title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2023.

Dame Diane was awarded in recognition of her invaluable contributions to economic policy and practice, as well as her unwavering commitment to public service. She is a Co-Investigator in The Productivity Institute, helping to set up the research organisation in 2020, and a member of the Institute’s Executive Team, Executive Committee, Productivity Commission, and leads the Knowledge Capital research theme.

She is the Bennett Professor of Public Policy at Cambridge University, one of the Institute’s ten academic partners.

“This is an amazing honour; and any achievement on my part is thanks to the commitment of all my Bennett Institute colleagues to using insights from our research and engagement to help inform public policies,” she told the Bennett Institute, where she is co-director. “I am delighted by the recognition that academic research can make a contribution to policy discussions, especially at a time when the world is facing so many challenges.”

Since her CBE in 2018 she has consolidated this position through ground-breaking contributions to economic policy and practice and commitment to public service, including dedicated work to raise the public profile of economics.

Diane was appointed Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge in 2018 and co-director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy. She is also a Fellow of the Office for National Statistics, an expert adviser to the National Infrastructure Commission, and Senior Independent Member of the ESRC Council. She was previously Professor of Economics at The University of Manchester and has served on the BBC Trust, the Competition Commission, and the Migration Advisory Committee.

As an award-winning author, Diane has has written numerous acclaimed books that explore the relationship between economics and society. Her work, including titles such as “Cogs and Monsters: What Economics Is and What It Should Be,” (2021) and “GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History,” (2014) have garnered critical acclaim and popular recognition. She also features in and writes for the media including the BBC, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and Nature.

Diane’s inclusion in the King’s Birthday Honours List highlights her profound impact on the field of economics and society at large. Her research, intellectual leadership, and tireless dedication to advancing economic understanding have left a mark on the discipline, inspiring a new generation of economists and fostering a more informed and equitable society.

Diane’s work with The Productivity Institute:

As a guest on the Productivity Puzzles podcast: