Program on Gender Analysis in Economics (PGAE)

From Farah Tasneem, doctoral student: “The pandemic has not been easy on anyone-be they care workers, working parents, or academics. In between being Zoom fatigued and rushing from one meeting or class to the next, PGAE at American University successfully completed another semester by hosting seminars, orientations, and bringing global scholars from various countries around the world. PGAE held two successful orientations this semester, which works as an icebreaker between students interested in Gender research and faculties experienced in it. Seminars hosted by the PGAE brought into the limelight how the pandemic affects care-workers both a home and abroad, the impact of austerity policies on women, and the impact of abortion laws on women’s economic outcomes. Despite the pandemic, we also continued our OPEN Society Foundation sponsored Global Scholars initiative virtually, where we brought six visiting scholars for the academic year 2020-2021 from Ghana, Brazil, and Columbia who participated in our graduate-level Gender courses and are expected to implement their curricula in gender analysis in economics in universities where they are employed. We hope to continue our success in the coming years despite the pandemic’s consequences and promote the greater empowerment of women worldwide through economic analysis that supports the appropriate social and economic policy.”

Research Grant

Our doctoral candidate, Glen Kwende, received at $15,000 grant from the Washington Center for Equitable Growth for his research on workers’ bargaining power over time in the United States. The research, part of his dissertation, aims at providing a pathway for estimating a time series of workers’ bargaining power from the 1950s to present. It builds on both the search and matching labor economics literature and advances made in time-varying parameter estimation to provide a first of its kind estimate of bargaining power in the US.

Internships

From Senior Elizabeth Seremet: “I am a double major in Economics and International Relations. This fall, I interned at the Department of State in the Bureau of African Affairs in the Office of Economic and Regional Affairs. My tasks included documenting the impact the pandemic has had on Africa, from both a public health and economic standpoint. I have also helped create an ‘African Factbook’ of macroeconomic data. My other long-term project is investigating voting coincidence between African states and the US within the United Nations. Interning during COVID-19 has been challenging, primarily due to the virtual nature of the internship. I have felt as though working from home has made it harder for me to communicate with my colleagues and be as productive as I would be in the office. However, the opportunity to inter at the State Department has been a wonderful experience. I have been able to apply my economics knowledge to the African continent, bridging my interests of international affairs and economics. I hope to continue doing this type of work after graduating in May!”

From Junior Zara Memon: “This fall I had the opportunity to work as a communications intern from the United States Department of Treasury in the Bureau of the Fiscal Service. While my internship was completely remote, I attended meetings, webinars, and planning sessions online through Microsoft Teams. My work focused on the intersection of private and public sector accounting, with an emphasis on data evaluation and accessibility. I worked to create staff databases, update website content, and prepare materials for virtual conferences. Throughout my time at the Treasury Department, I was able to apply economic theories such as creative destruction, market regulation, and resource allocation to my daily tasks as well as build communication and collaboration skills in the office.”