Dr Abay Mulatu

Abay is an economist who works on topics in the areas of international trade, firm location behaviour and environmental & development economics. He also teaches in these areas. Abay oversees the Economics and Business Analytics disciplines of the School of Economics, Finance and Law.

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Background

Prior to joining ARU in 2026, Abay held research positions at the London School of Economics and the University of Cambridge, Lectureship at the University of Manchester, Senior Lectureship at London Met and Associate Professorship at Coventry University. He won a Leverhulme Research Fellowship in 2011 and was a visiting research fellow at the Geneva Graduate Institute, Switzerland in 2022. He did his doctorate at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Abay also had several leadership positions including Head of the Economics Subject Group, and Lead of the Applied Economics & Policy Research Theme at the Centre for Resilient Business & Society at Coventry University.

Research interests

• International trade and the environment
• Firm location behaviour
• International trade and development
• Environmental, Social & Economic standards and Mergers & Acquisitions

Areas of research supervision

• Undergraduate Major Projects
• Postgraduate Major Projects
• Ph.D. Supervision

Teaching

Abay’s main areas of teaching are Econometrics, Micro-, International-, Environmental-, and Development Economics.

2022 – 2026: Bespoke short courses for HMRC staff – Applied Econometrics I & II

Qualifications

• PhD Economics, Tinbergen Institute/Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• MSc Economics, Wageningen University
• BA Economics, Addis Ababa University

Memberships, editorial boards

• European Association Environmental & Resource Economists
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

2023 – present: Reviewer for Horizon Europe: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - European Research Executive Agency

2026 – Present: External Examiner for MSc & MA Economics at Keele University

Jan – Jun 2022: Visiting Research Fellow: Geneva Graduate Institute, Switzerland Corporate Social Responsibility - CIES Policy Brief 10

Aug 2018: Independent expert for Eureka - Eureka Network: Revisiting the methodology used in calculating members’ contribution to the EUREKA Secretariat’s budget

Sep 2011 – Dec 2013: The Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship (£45,000): Environmental Policy and International Competitiveness.

Aug – Sep 2008: Consultant to Proudfoot Consulting, 2008 Global Productivity Study US.pdf: Productivity/efficiency analysis of multinational companies.

Selected recent publications

Xu, B. and Mulatu, A. 2025 “Success in cross-border M&A deals: Can ESG performance be a countervailing force against political risk?” Business & Economics Letters, 14(3): 146-155

Binh, T. and Mulatu, A. and Xu, B. 2022. “Corporate Social Responsibility & Firm Efficiency: Evidence from Endogenous Cost Inefficiency Stochastic Frontier Analysis”. Applied Economics, 54(55): 6380–6392.

Terris-Prestholt, F., Mulatu, A., Quaife, M., Gafos, M., Medley, G., MacPhail C., Hanson, K. 2021. “Using Choice Experiments to Improve Equity in Access to Socially Marketed HIV Prevention Products”. Journal of Choice Modelling, 41(C) 100319.

Mulatu, A. 2017. “The Structure of UK Outbound FDI and Environmental Regulation.” Environmental & Resource Economics, 68(1): 65-96.

Mulatu, A. 2016. “On the Concept of ‘Competitiveness’ and Its Usefulness for Policy.” Structural Change & Economic Dynamics, 36(C): 50-62.

Rigby, D., K. Balcombe, M. Burton, I. Bateman and A. Mulatu 2015. “Contract Cheating & the Market in Essays.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 111(C): 23–37.

Mulatu, A., Gerlagh, R., Rigby D. & Wossink, A. 2010. “Environmental Policy and Industry Location” Environmental & Resource Economics, 45(4): 459-479.

Crafts, N. & Mulatu, A. 2005. "What explains the location of industry in Britain, 1871–1931?" Journal of Economic Geography, 5(4): 499-518.