Nigel Wadeson

I did my PhD at Reading while working as a 'computing officer' in the Department, which involved doing computer programming to help staff with their research. I had gained the role having followed up an undergraduate degree in Economics with a Master's in Computer Science.

I had learned about theories of the firm as an undergraduate in Bristol and my Master's had given me insights into how costs involved in handling information affect decision making. I felt that there were significant opportunities to explore how 'information costs' affect business decision making and issues such as the boundaries of the firm.

A while after completing my PhD, I spent a few years in the IT industry during the time of the dot-com boom, working in entrepreneurial firms. I then came back to the Department at Reading as a lecturer. As it happened, Mark Casson had won a large research grant, and there was need for me to take over his master's teaching.
This required me to undertake intensive study of the economics of small firms and entrepreneurship.

This expertise subsequently led me to undertake research in the economics of entrepreneurship and to my roles as one of the editors and as a contributor to the Oxford Handbook of Entrepreneurship.

Apart from a general research interest in business economics, I also eventually developed an interest in the Economics of International Business, something for which Reading has a very strong reputation. I find this to be an interesting and evolving field, and one in which economists can make a valuable contribution alongside those from other disciplines.