Saite Lu is an Affiliated Researcher at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, and the Mead Fellow in Economics at Emmanuel College where he supervises College economists on a range of papers, ranging from first year macroeconomics to third year development economics.
Prior to this, he was a senior teaching associate in economics at the Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge and a stipendiary lecturer in economics at Pembroke College, University of Oxford.
Saite’s primary research focus is macro-finance and macroeconometric forecasting models. He is currently working on a research project with Dr Ken Coutts and Dr Graham Gudgin to develop an empirical Stock-flow Consistent (SFC) financial forecasting model for the UK economy. The model would help advance our understanding of the interlinkages between the real economy and the financial sector. It can also provide simulations and forecasts for important policy changes, which will contribute to the contemporary economic debates such as potential policy responses to inflation.
Another research focus of his is on national accounting and its applications in shaping sustainable development policies. His research investigates the role of missing capitals (e.g., natural, human and social capital) on the national balance sheet and how to improve economic development using the wealth approach. These capitals, together with a responsive financial system, are the missing pieces that are absolutely essential in achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals. I now worked closely with Professor Diane Coyle to develop an online course for the University of Cambridge based on the Wealth Economy framework.
In addition, Saite has recently received a research grant jointly funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the British Academy. The research project explores whether administrative data about public behaviours, already gathered by local authorities, can be ethically used as a means of gaining additional insight into community well-being and policy formulation.
Outside academia, Saite is a Global Future Council Fellow on the New Agenda for Fiscal and Monetary Policy, World Economic Forum. He was a macro-fiscal adviser for the governments of Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Palestinian Authority. His work on macroeconomic forecasting frameworks has played an essential role in assisting the budget preparation and policy formulation in these economies during some tremendously challenging periods, such as the Ebola crisis and the Covid-19 crisis.
