Alumni : Alumni Testimonials from PSE

I chose the APE program because of its reputation for rigour and the extraordinary breadth of PSE’s faculty. […] My time at PSE convinced me about doing a PhD – the coursework cemented my understanding of the fundamentals, and I felt supported and inspired by my advisors and the faculty. […] The community at PSE is tremendously supportive, which makes it one of the best places to be intellectually challenged.

Like many people, I came to PSE with an interest in empirical inequality research. […] Two researchers were open-minded enough to accommodate my wish to do my APE master’s thesis on a different, somewhat marginal, and definitely very under-researched topic: the economics of animal welfare. […] The program prepared me well for my PhD. I also found the student community here very welcoming […]. So I ended up staying at PSE to do my PhD and continue exploring the economics of animal welfare.

I consider the Master’s program to be a good first step before a PhD, as the M2 provides valuable experience in conducting effective analysis and understanding research work processes. […] I just finished my PhD and decided to accept an Environmental and Sectorial Economist position at Société Générale.

“ I chose the PPD program because I was looking for a program that had a strong focus on applied methods and research, development, and with an international student body. PPD was exactly what I expected, a program linking theory and empirics, providing you with the tools to conduct quality research. For example, in every class, we would learn concepts and then see how those are applied to answer specific research questions. […] During the first year, nearly all assignments are group assignments. It was a great way to test your understanding of the material with classmates as well as to get to know them. I also enjoyed the flexibility of the program, I had the opportunity to extend my end-of-M1 internship for a whole year, and the program was such that it was possible for me to do the masters in 3 years instead of 2.

When I began the program, I was not quite sure where I wanted to work and what I wanted to work on. I knew that I wanted to be given the tools to do research if I wanted to, and probably work for a multilateral institution working on poverty issues. The program was useful in that we are exposed to many fields of economics since the first year. […] I currently work as a Research Analyst at the International Monetary Fund. I work alongside country team economists to conduct macroeconomic analysis and various yearly exercises such as Article IV, WEO, and program review for program countries. In addition, I am also in the Fragility research group within the Fund, we conduct research on the macroeconomic impact of conflicts in African countries.