Welcome to my website! I am Full Professor in Economic and Public Policy at the Faculty of Business & Economic Sciences, University of Cantabria and Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Economic Policy Reform. I am also currently Principal Investigator of GreenPaths, an ambitious project that seeks to policy in the EU towards a green and also just transition (Horizon Europe 2023-26, 3 Mill EUR).

Recently completed projects included being selected as FNR Intermobility-In Visiting Professor at the University of Luxembourg, where I undertook research on realigning the financial architecture in the European Union for the twenty-first century from May 2023 onwards, along with Professor David Howarth of University of Luxembourg. This followed being Principal Investigator on one of the largest projects to date on Disruptive Technologies (DLT/Blockchain) in the Public Sector, TOKEN (Horizon2020, 4 Mill EUR, 2020-23).

In addition to serving as Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Economic Policy Reform I also am Co-Editor of Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy & Society and Cambridge Elements in Public Policy. I also serve on Policy & Society, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, Utilities Policy, Policy Design and Practice and Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics editorial boards.

Prior to being appointed as FNR Intermobility-In Visiting Professor at Luxembourg, I held other prestigious appointments, including Jean Monnet Chair (2017-2020), Fulbright Fellow (Cornell 2014-15), Mario Einaudi Fellow (2015), Ramón y Cajal Fellow (Oviedo), British Council Fellow (CSIC) and CONACYT Fellow (Colegio de México). I have lectured and conducted research in leading European and US universities, including University of Oxford, Cambridge University, Cornell University, Leeds University, Oviedo University and Cantabria University.

I received a DPhil in Political Economy from the University of Oxford (St. Antony’s) in 1998 after completing a Masters in Contemporary International Studies (Distinction) at the University of Leeds.

I have served as consultant for the World Bank, United Nations, OECD, European Commission, European Institute for Public Administration, European Public Service Trade Unions, the Greek government (during negotiations with ECB/EC/IMF), CIRIEC and CEEP. I have consulted international media and have been cited in The Financial Times and The Economist. I regularly serve as Vice-Chair, Expert and Rapporteur for Horizon 2020 research evaluation, Marie Curie Fellowships, EACEA Youth and La Caixa Fellowships.

Email: judith.clifton@unican.es

Research interests

I have two main research lines: public services, and public banks. Regarding the first, public services, such as health, education, communications, energy, water, transportation and more - are a key deliverable of government and play a core role in society and the economy, whilst they have been subject to multiple waves of reform by governments. I am interested in how and why governments reform public services and the consequences of these reforms for consumers, and how these services are financed. In recent years, important reforms associated with the financial crisis were the different austerity policies in Europe and the US. Today, we are moving towards a “digital government” - and, at the same time, a need to reform public services in the light of the climate crisis.

Regarding public banks, I hold a long-term interest in the evolution and performance of the EU´s major public bank, the European Investment Bank. Understanding and analysing this often under-researched, yet vital, bank and its path towards contributing towards a better and more sustainable future in Europe is one of my current research priorities.

I have published in major and leading international journals, including Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy & Society, Journal of European Public Policy, Journal of Latin American Studies, Journal of Common Market Studies, Review of International Political Economy, Public Management Review, Regional Studies, Journal of Regulatory Economics, Business History, Global Policy, International Review of Adminstrative Sciences, Public Administration,Policy and Society, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, etc. and written and co-edited a dozen books. My research has won several prestigious awards for best paper.