Dame Diane Coyle (born 12 February 1961) is a British economist. Since March 2018, she has been the Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, co-directing the Bennett Institute. Coyle's early career as an economist was followed by a period in journalism including being economics editor at ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' from 1993 to 2001. She was professor of economics at

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

from 2014 to 2018. She was vice-chair of the

BBC Trust The BBC Trust was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 2007 and 2017. It was operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and its stated aim was to make decisions in the best interests of ...

from 2011 to 2016 and a member of the UK

Competition Commission The Competition Commission was a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom. It was a competition regulator under t ...

from 2001 until 2009. Coyle has written ten books on economics.

Early life

Coyle was born in

Bury, Lancashire Bury (, ) is a market town on the River Irwell in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. which had a population of 81,101 in 2021 while the wider borough had a population of 193,846. The town was originally part of the ...

, and attended Bury Grammar School for Girls. She did her undergraduate studies at

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The l ...

, reading

philosophy, politics, and economics Philosophy, politics and economics, or politics, philosophy and economics (PPE), is an interdisciplinary undergraduate or postgraduate degree which combines study from three disciplines. The first institution to offer degrees in PPE was the Unive ...

, before gaining an MA and a PhD in economics from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, graduating in 1985, her thesis was titled ''The dynamic behaviour of employment (wages, contracts, productivity, business cycle)''.

Career

Diane Coyle at work with Apple laptop-9Oct2009

Coyle was an economist at the UK Treasury from 1985 to 1986, and later became the European Editor of ''

Investors Chronicle The ''Investors' Chronicle'' is a weekly magazine in the United Kingdom for private investors and is published by the ''Financial Times'' Group. The magazine publishes articles about global markets and sectors, and news on corporate actions such ...

'' between 1993 and 2001 and economics editor of ''

''. She has written a series of books focused on educating people about different aspects of economics. She has said that her first book, ''The Weightless World'' (1997), was a contribution to the creation of a radical centre. Another book explores concepts of "enoughness" and sustainability. Coyle was also a member of the UK's

from 2001 to 2009, a member of the

Royal Economic Society The Royal Economic Society (RES) is a professional association and learned society that promotes the study of economics. Originally established in 1890 as the British Economic Association, it was incorporated by royal charter on 2 December 1902. ...

, previously a member of the UK Border Agency's Migration Advisory Committee from 2009 to 2014, and a fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

. Coyle was previously a presenter on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

and was a member of the

from November 2006 until April 2015. On 7 April 2011 the Queen approved Coyle's appointment as the vice-chairman of the

, the governing body of the

British Broadcasting Corporation The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public broadcasting, public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved in ...

. She also has been contributing regularly to

Project Syndicate ''Project Syndicate'' is an international nonprofit media organization that publishes and syndicates commentary and analysis on a variety of global topics. All opinion pieces are published on the ''Project Syndicate'' website, and also distribu ...

since 2017. Coyle has praised the news coverage of the BBC, saying "I've always valued the BBC, not least as the best provider of news coverage in the world. Its impartiality and comprehensive coverage underpin its vital civic role." However, in 2009 she was critical of the BBC's programming, stating "Viewers are becoming increasingly cynical and disappointed by the programmes offered by the BBC and the UK's other main TV channels." "Among the negative comments there are complaints about a lack of variety, too much soap or costume drama...disappointment about old series being brought back and a degree of cynicism over 'rehashing' and ripping off old ideas". She was a professor of economics at the

from 2014 to 2018. Since March 2018, she has been the Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the

, co-directing the Bennett Institute. Coyle was critical of the economics profession in 2021 due to its lack of diversity, and she is critical of

universal basic income Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive a minimum income in the form of an unconditional transfer payment, i.e., without a means test or need to perform Work (hu ...

as an idea. Coyle is managing director of Enlightenment Economics, an economic consultancy to large corporate clients and international organisations, specialising in new technologies and globalisation. She was employed by EDF Energy on its stakeholder advisory panel. Following her Indigo Prize-winning essay on radically replacing GDP measurements, Coyle now leads the Six Capitals research project, funded by LetterOne, at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

; the project was inaugurated in January 2019 and explores social and

natural capital Natural capital is the world's stock of natural resources, which includes geology, soils, air, water and all living organisms. Some natural capital assets provide people with free goods and services, often called ecosystem services. All of t ...

."Beyond GDP – Cambridge research project explores new measures for the 21st century economy"
Bennett Institute for Public Policy,

. 8 January 2019. At the 2018 New Year Honours, Coyle received the award of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

) for her contributions to economics.

Personal life

She is married to the former

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

' Technology Correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones. The couple have two adult children, and live in

West Ealing West Ealing is a district in the London Borough of Ealing, in West London. The district is about west of Ealing, Ealing Broadway. Although there is a long history of settlement in the area, West Ealing in its present form is less than one hundre ...

, London.

Honours

Coyle was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to economics. She was recognised as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2013. In 2016, Coyle was elected a

Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences The Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) is an award granted by the Academy of Social Sciences to leading academics, policy-makers, and practitioners of the social sciences. Fellows were previously known as Academicians and used t ...

(FAcSS). In 2017, Coyle and Benjamin Mitra-Kahn won the inaugural

Indigo Prize The Indigo Era (or Indigo economies) is a concept publicized by businessman Mikhail Fridman, describing what he views as an emerging new era of economies and economics based on ideas, innovation, and creativity, replacing those based on the possess ...

, along with co-winner economics professor Jonathan Haskel, for submitting the best hypothetical plans to overhaul

GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...

as an economic measurement as economies move more into the digital and information age. Coyle was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2018 New Year Honours The 2018 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hono ...

for services to economics and the public understanding of economics and

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(DBE) in the

2023 Birthday Honours The 2023 King's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of King Charles III to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part ...

for services to economics. She was made a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

in May 2025.

Published works

* ''The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters'' (April 2025). Princeton University Press, * ''Cogs and Monsters: What Economics Is, and What It Should Be'' (October 2021). Princeton University Press, * ''Markets, States, and People: Economics for Public Policy'' (January 2020). Princeton University Press, * ''GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History'' (January 2014). Princeton University Press, * ''The Economics of Enough: How to Run the Economy as If the Future matters'' (2011). Princeton University Press, * ''The Soulful Science: What Economists Really Do and Why It Matters'' (2007). Princeton University Press, * ''Sex, Drugs and Economics: An Unconventional Introduction to Economics'' (2002). Texere, * ''Paradoxes of Prosperity: Why the New Capitalism Benefits All'' (2001). Texere, * ''Governing the World Economy'' (2000). Polity, * ''The Weightless World'' (1997). MIT Press,

References

External links

*
Biography at LSE's economics department

Diane Coyle articles at Prospect magazine

Diane Coyle lecture
to the

Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of grassroots environmental organizations in 73 countries. About half of the member groups call themselves "Friends of the Earth" in their own languages; the others use other ...

September 2006 podcast interview re mobile phones in Africa
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coyle, Diane 1961 births Living people Academics of the University of Manchester Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford BBC Radio 4 presenters Chairmen of the BBC Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Électricité de France people English economists Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge British women economists Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Writers from Bury, Greater Manchester People educated at Bury Grammar School (Girls) Radical centrist writers The Independent people Trustees of the British Broadcasting Corporation Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences British women radio presenters Civil servants in HM Treasury Fellows of the Royal Economic Society