Yale University hosts two graduation ceremonies this year. 

The first took place on May 14th when over 10,000 people came to campus – including 1200 members of the Yale College class of 2020, whose senior year was interrupted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The second takes place this morning. Many of today’s graduates also had their Yale education disrupted by a shift to online classes, canceled fieldwork, uncertainty, anxiety, and for many, bouts with the virus itself. In this newsletter, we celebrate their achievements and highlight their future plans: 2022 Economics PhDs who focused on international trade and development, the International Development and Economics (IDE) Masters students, EGC Fellows and interns who are leaving the program, and undergraduates who have done notable work in the field. If you click the links, you can read more about their work.

Also in this edition, we launch EGC’s new podcast, Voices in Development. Keeping with the theme of celebrating higher education, we speak with Leonard Wantchekon of Princeton University and others about the founding of the African School of Economics – and the importance of training researchers on the ground in the countries where economic development is happening. Prof. Wantchekon also speaks about his view of current research in political economy, the focus of the 31st Kuznets Memorial Lecture, which he delivered at Yale in March.

Many congratulations to the graduates listed below, and all of us at EGC wish them the best in their plans. And, please, do stay in touch!

Rohini Pande 
Henry J. Heinz II Professor of Economics
Director, Economic Growth Center


2022 Yale Economics PhDs in Development & Trade

Nate Barker, will join the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy as a Postdoctoral Fellow; John Finlay will join Columbia University for a one-year postdoctoral fellowship, then take a position as an Assistant Professor at Imperial College London; and Jonathan Hawkins-Pierot will join the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as an Economist.


The IDE Class of 2022

This year’s graduates of the International and Development Economics Master’s program will go on to the PhD program at MIT; fellowships at Princeton, Northwestern, and Yale; and a range of policy jobs. 


EGC Postgraduate Associates

Vineet Gupta, who assisted with EGC research on early warning systems for floods and other environmental policy in India, will enter a Sociology PhD program at Northwestern University. Balasai Vanukuri, who worked on projects in technology and gender in India, will continue his work on data quality systems for EGC while applying to Economics PhD programs. 


Yale College Class of 2022

We also celebrate the achievements of Yale undergraduates who studied international development – particularly those who worked with us as EGC Interns. During their time with us, they analyzed data on how Covid-19 affected the lives of migrants in India, wrote articles about a range of EGC research, and built a timeline of the history of the Center.

READ ABOUT ALL OUR GRADUATES


EGC Voices in Development

Our new podcast series explores issues related to sustainable development and economic justice in low- and middle-income countries. Episode 1 features Prof. Leonard Wantchekon of Princeton University on founding the African School of Economics. Click here to listen:

 

EGC Welcomes a new Deputy Director

Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan will oversee the research center’s strategic initiatives, external engagement, and research and data infrastructure. Read about her strong record working the intersections of research and policy.

The EGC Affiliate Spotlight series continues

Maggie Jones, EGC Visiting Scholar, discusses her research on the Canadian residential school system, American Green Books, and the long-lasting effects of systemic racism in North America.

Recent Publications

Maggi models how today’s climate policies affect future generations; Zilibotti asks if China’s research and development funding reaches the right firms; Mobarak convenes voices on how to end Covid-19 in low- and middle-income countries.