Professor Adele Atkinson

• PhD in Human Geography (2010)
• BSc (Hons) in Economics and Accounting with Law (2000)

Adele joined CHASM as a Professor of Practice in Financial Literacy and Wellbeing in 2022. She has a multifunctional role, leading and undertaking research, and disseminating the findings within academic and policy domains. Her research interests primarily focus on understanding the needs of financial consumers and identifying policy solutions related to their financial literacy, inclusion, and wellbeing. She also teaches master’s students and supervises PhD students.

Adele developed and honed her research skills in three research environments at the University of Bristol, spanning Economics, Education, and Geography. She addressed a wide range of policy-relevant topics, from the introduction of Performance-related Pay in schools to the challenges facing the Child Support Agency and its clients. She has also worked extensively with International Organisations, particularly the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), focusing on financial literacy, inclusion, and wellbeing. Her work at the OECD involved providing research evidence and guidance to respond to the policy priorities of global leaders and regulators, particularly through the International Network on Financial Education (INFE), the Insurance and Private Pensions Committee, and the Committee on Financial Affairs and the G20 Global Partnership on Financial Inclusion. Deliverables included the OECD/INFE Toolkit for measuring Financial Literacy and Inclusion, the PISA financial literacy assessment, a report on the levels of financial literacy across G20 countries, and various research outputs and recommendations and policy guidance on related topics.

Since 2020, Adele has also been working freelance, contributing to the research programmes of various international organisations and financial service foundations, as well as universities and regulators. Her outputs have included a new UN Capital Development Fund survey tool to measure digital and financial literacy and guidelines on financial consumer protection during a crisis for the Alliance on Financial Inclusion.

• Contributing to MA Policy Futures

Professor Atkinson will commence postgraduate supervision in January 2023.

Research Interests

Adele's interest lies in finding effective solutions to problems related to individual and household financial management, including their financial literacy, inclusion, and wellbeing. She is interested in developing relevant measures, evaluating programmes, and considering comprehensive policy solutions that address both the demand and supply sides of financial services. Adele believes in further exploring the mechanisms that lead to better financial wellbeing, including those operating within households and those related to culture and current context. In this regard, she is examining financial precarity and the financial challenges facing different groups within the population.

Current and Recent Projects

Adele and Louise Overton are co-leading a project on “Strengthening employment and financial inclusion for low- and moderate-income individuals and families” in collaboration with the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis. She is also contributing to a Netspar-funded project led by Leiden University in the Netherlands on “Preventing financial vulnerability during retirement.”

Adele recently completed a one-year project with various CHASM academics in collaboration with the Financial Inclusion Commission to explore the state of financial inclusion in the UK in 2024 and highlight steps that could be taken to reduce exclusion. She was one of three academics contributing to a recently completed three-year project led by Leonore Riitsalu (University of Tartu), looking at “A Human-centred Approach for Increasing Financial Well-being of Individuals and Society,” funded by the Erste Foundation.

Adele led the design of the survey questionnaire and analysis guide for the UN Capital Development Funds project on digital and financial literacy in the Pacific, providing technical guidance throughout the implementation. She remains involved in an advisory capacity as the project expands to other areas, including Africa and the Caribbean.

• Netspar Fellow
• Research Associate of the G53 Financial Literacy and Personal Finance Research Network (G53 Network)
• Member of the Cyprus Scientific Committee for the Development of a National Strategy on Financial Literacy
• Judge for the Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards
• Member of MaPS Research & Evaluation Group