Writing a thesis allowed me to understand the impact of public policy on the issue of equity

>Each year, between 40 and 60 students choose to write a thesis as part of their fourth semester at the School of Public Affairs (EAP). They embark on a course of study that allows them to deepen their expertise in one or more areas of public policy that are of particular interest to them, while benefiting from pedagogical and methodological support during their second year of the Master's programme. Using research to support their arguments, reasoning and conclusions, and conducting their own studies, the students formulate public policy recommendations in the light of social science research practices (law, economics, history, political science, sociology). Like the EAP as a whole, writing a thesis at the EAP offers many opportunities for professional success and integration. This research experience also allows students to discover a real affinity for the world of research. This was the case for Marisol Dextre-Polo, winner of the Master's thesis award in public policy evaluation from the French Evaluation Society. Here is her experience.

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

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Communications for Development from the Catholic University of Peru. This branch of Communications studies focuses on using communication tools and arts towards the goal of social and sustainable development, and I had social and human sciences courses such as anthropology, economics for development, history, psychology, and philosophy, as well as more technical and theoretical courses about communications. After five years of working on NGOs in Peru on various development topics, I wanted to know more about how to design and improve public policies, so I decided to do my Master’s in Public Policy and Economics at Sciences Po. I decided to write a thesis because it gave me the opportunity to study a particular policy in depth, and understand the estimated impact it had on an issue as important as equity. I also thought I would feel empowered if I was able to apply the methods of policy evaluation that I had learned in the classroom to a real case, which I did.

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

My topic of analysis is a phenomenon that I find very interesting and it is called “aspiration failures” which are situations when people set out professional or educational aspirations that are not aligned with their talent and potential. Aspiration failures occur when aspirations are affected by other factors such as socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, and even whether a person is an oldest or youngest sibling. My thesis asks if the conditional cash transfer program “Juntos” (Together in Spanish), which financially helps low-income families on the condition that they take their children to school, has an impact on teenagers’ aspirations. I find that beneficiary teenagers are between 1.5 and 1.8 times more likely to aspire to a higher level of education than non-beneficiaries, and between 1.4 and 1.7 times more likely to aspire to higher paying jobs that require more years of education than non-beneficiary comparable teens.

My thesis (PDF, 463 Ko) has been the first to study the long-term effects of a conditional cash transfer program on the educational and professional aspirations of teenagers, as well as the differentiated effects according to gender, ethnicity, and birth order. It provides descriptive insight into the aspiration setting mechanisms in a diverse and emerging country such as Peru.

TO WHAT EXTENT HAS WRITING YOUR THESIS ENRICHED YOUR ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION?

Writing my thesis has introduced me to the academic environment of research in social sciences, particularly in the field of public policy evaluation and impact evaluation. After receiving the prize from the French Evaluation Society I have gone to some Policy Evaluation events and I have learned that it is a field where discussion is very active, as there are many approaches and actors involved. Writing my thesis has given me the opportunity to present it in places I had never thought of, including the Peruvian Ministry of Education. Finally, I am very honored to share that I will soon join a policy evaluation team as a statistical researcher in Paris. 

learn more

• The Master's thesis option (semester 4) at the School of Public Affairs