Public Policy and Development

Overview

The Public Policy and Development program from Paris School of Economics is a two-year research-based training program. It prepares students to become experts in designing, analyzing and evaluating public policies in both developed and developing countries. It combines rigorous training in analytical and quantitative economic methods with an emphasis on both policy and practice.

The PPD Master provides a solid foundation for progressing into the PhD program at PSE or elsewhere. If you do not wish to go to a doctorate, the PPD Master provides advanced quantitative skills required for a professional economist in the public or the private sector.

The PPD Master puts a strong emphasis on quantitative methods: measurement, econometrics, quantitative evaluation of policies. This is a full-time program, which is very demanding in terms of personal workload. The pedagogy relies not only on courses but also on tutorials, team projects and individual guidance during office hours. The MI year ends with a two-month internship. During the M2, students follow advanced specialization courses and write a dissertation under the supervision of a faculty member. The program is akin to the system that is in place in most US universities, where the first two years of PhD program are devoted to course work (and the admission into the third year is conditional on successful performance in the first two years).

Career Opportunities

Half of PPD students go on into a PhD program, mostly at PSE. You are encouraged to do so if you are interested by a career in academia or if you plan to get a non-academic positions for which PhD is a prerequisite. At PSE, there is no direct admission into the Doctoral training. This is the same system as in most US universities, where the first two years of PhD program are devoted to course work (and the admission into the third year is conditional on successful performance on the first two years). Thus, one can think of admissions to PSE master’s in the same way as admissions to the course-work years of a standard US-university-based PhD program.