Congratulations to Manon Fortemps, awarded by the French Evaluation Society for her thesis written at the School of Public Affairs

>Each year, about fifty students choose to write a thesis as part of their off-campus semester at the School of Public Affairs. They engage in a course of study that allows them to deepen their expertise in a field of public policy of particular interest to them, while benefiting from pedagogical and methodological support during their second year of the Masters.

This experience allows students to discover a real interest in the research field, like Manon Fortemps, who graduated in 2022, and who was awarded a prize by the French Evaluation Society for her thesis, during a ceremony held in Lille on 17 November 2022. Testimonial.

COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC BACKGROUND AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU DECIDED TO WRITE A THESIS?

I graduated with the Master in Public Policy, Economics and Public Policy stream, from the School of Public Affairs at Sciences Po. It was during my exchange year at Georgetown University (Washington DC) that I discovered development Economics. During my time in Washington DC, I attended conferences on the topics of development aid, poverty and inequality in vulnerable states, and international solidarity policies. Being immersed in a capital city that houses the institutions at the heart of the international financial architecture for development, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, made me aware of the central paradox of development aid. The poorest and most aid-dependent populations are located in countries where conflict, political instability and corruption hampers the flow of international aid. My thesis was an opportunity to study in depth the criteria for the allocation of official development assistance. 

COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR TOPIC OF ANALYSIS AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OF POLICY EVALUATION?

My thesis investigates the relationship between the "Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA)" and the volumes of development aid received by developing countries. The CPIA was developed in the 2000s by the World Bank to support the institution in its allocation of development aid. My thesis reveals that the aid flows received by a country are positively correlated with its CPIA score, and that the better thescore on the section of the CPIA that assesses political stability and good governance, the larger the volumes received. In concrete terms, this confirms that the World Bank acts as a standard-setting institution in the development ecosystem and that the CPIA criterion has been rapidly adopted by many public and private organisations for the allocation of their development assistance. Furthermore, the premium on political stability and good governance raises the question of the relevance of using the CPIA in a context where three quarters of people in extreme poverty are located in fragile and conflict-affected countries characterised by political instability and poor governance.  

TO WHAT EXTENT HAS WRITING YOUR THESIS ENRICHED YOUR ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND YOUR CAREER OPPORTUNITIES?

Writing a thesis was a unique opportunity to familiarise myself with social science research and to improve my methodological rigour. While writing my thesis, I joined the OECD Development Assistance Committee, which allowed me to refine my research and meet scholars and practitioners involved in development assistance. Writing a thesis also gave me a passion for research which I intend to pursue as I am currently in the process of applying for a PhD. 

TELL US ABOUT THE FRENCH EVALUATION SOCIETY'S THESIS AWARD, AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OF PUBLIC POLICY EVALUATION?

The French Evaluation Society (SFE) awarded my thesis in the category "Reflection on evaluation practices". The mission of the SFE is to contribute to the development of evaluation and to promote its use in public and private organisations. This mission is in line with the School of Public Affairs' thesis, since its purpose is to formulate public policy recommendations based on rigorous and thorough scientific research. The award ceremony, organised during the Journées Françaises de l'Evaluation, was an opportunity to meet researchers and practitioners and to exchange views on the themes of evaluation and development. I encourage all students who are embarking on the adventure of writing a thesis to apply for this prize, so that their work can have a concrete impact on the field of public policy evaluation.

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• The Master's thesis option at the School of Public Affairs (off-campus semester)