Motu researcher Livvy Mitchell elevates dialogue on youth adversity

Mar 15, 2026

After Livvy Mitchell joined Motu Research as a Research Analyst, she embarked on a research journey to answer a powerful question: what happens to families when young people experience serious adversity? Today, she is answering that question on the world stage.

Livvy recently graduated with a PhD in Economics from Auckland University of Technology. Her thesis, The Ripple Effect of Youth Adversity: Economic and Health Impacts on Families, examines how events such as youth suicide and victimisation affect the health and economic outcomes of parents and families in Aotearoa New Zealand. Using advanced econometric methods and linked administrative data, her research shows how shocks that affect young people ripple through families and communities.

Asking hard questions about youth adversity

Livvy’s work sits at the intersection of crime, health, and labour economics. She studies the economic impacts of adverse events affecting young people — and the spillover effects those events have on families and wider social networks, including siblings and classmates.

Her PhD focused on Aotearoa New Zealand, where rates of youth victimisation and suicide are high by international standards. By measuring the broader costs of these tragedies, her research provides evidence that can help policymakers design more effective support for affected families.

Building research capacity at Motu Research

Livvy spent two years at Motu as a Research Analyst before starting her PhD. During that time, she contributed to projects across climate policy, human rights, and social outcomes.

She worked with Motu researchers on projects commissioned by organisations including the Climate Change Commission, the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Livvy also led research on gendered parenting and the intergenerational transmission of gender stereotypes in Aotearoa.

Her journey reflects one of Motu’s core objectives: building the capability of the next generation of economic researchers. Through mentoring, hands-on research, and scholarships, Motu helps early-career economists develop the skills to tackle complex public policy challenges.

Taking Aotearoa New Zealand research to the world

Livvy is now a researcher at the Rockwool Foundation, a non-profit foundation based in Copenhagen that supports independent research on the social and economic sustainability of society.

Her current work continues to explore crime and health economics, with a focus on how adverse events affecting young people shape the lives of families.

Joining the Rockwool Foundation has also opened the door to international comparisons. Livvy is now extending her work from Aotearoa into Denmark, comparing the economic impacts of youth bereavement across two countries with similar populations but different welfare systems.

Her goal is practical and hopeful: to identify where each country can learn from the other in supporting families affected by youth adversity.

Looking ahead

Livvy remains connected to Motu Research as a Research Affiliate and continues to support our community of early-career researchers.

Her journey — from Motu Research Analyst to international researcher — shows what happens when curiosity, rigorous data, and public purpose come together.

We are proud to see her work shaping conversations about how societies support families through some of life’s hardest moments — and we look forward to seeing where her research goes next.