Lucy O'Shea

Dr Lucy O'Shea is a senior lecturer in Economics.  Prior to joining the University of Bath, she has worked as a lecturer at the University of Birmingham and a research officer on an EU FP5 project at the University of Reading.  She completed her masters in Economics and masters in Environmental Science in Trinity College Dublin and her PhD in Economics at the University of Southampton.

To date, she has acted as Principal Investigator on two projects funded by the British Academy and the Economic Social Research Council.  These were entitled 'The trade-off between time and cost of achieving Water Framework Directive objectives' and 'Examining the variation in household recycling rates across the UK', respectively.

Her current research interests focus on the interface between psychology and economics applied specifically to pro-environmental behaviours.  She uses insights from psychology within an economics framework to explain why individuals are more or less pre-disposed towards actions that are beneficial or less damaging  for the environment.  More generally, her research is broadly within the area of environmental economics focusing particularly on pollution and its regulation.  

Research interests

• Waste management and recycling
• Agricultural pollution
• Behavioural economics
• Environmental regulation
• R&D and the environment

Research Projects

• Co-investigator on EU FP7 project ‘Green lifestyles, Alternative Models and Upscaling Regional Sustainability’ – GLAMURS (Jan 2014-Dec 2016). The overall aim of GLAMURS is to develop a theoretical framework which is informed by, and tested using, empirical to create a better understanding of the obstacles and prospects for transitions to sustainable lifestyles and a green economy in Europe.
• External consultant on Identification of Potential ‘Remedies for Air Pollution (nitrogen) Impacts on Designated Sites (R.A.P.I.D.S). The purpose of this project is to gather all the evidence of the potential effects and existing legislation and measures to tackle them, with the view to providing a clear guide to conservation managers about how to manage nitrogen related pollution affecting their sites.