WU student Athina Anastasiadou participated in the Summer School Migration Economics at the Paris School of Economics and received a Prof. Ewald Nowotny Mobility Grant for her stay. In an interview, she tells us what she experienced and learned on site.
 

International Office: You have received the Prof. Ewald Nowotny Mobility Grant. Which international scientific event did you attend?

• Athina Anastasiadou: In June 2021, I participated in the Summer School Migration Economics, which took place at the Paris School of Economics. For this, I received the Prof. Ewald Nowotny Mobility Grant. The Summer School took place on site and in compliance with the current hygiene measures. In addition, parallel participation was also possible online. This created an interactive hybrid mode in which the lectures were streamed simultaneously for the online participants and questions and suggestions were voiced through a microphone.

International Office: Which research topics was the event about and how were they mediated?

• Athina Anastasiadou: The program included numerous lectures by renowned researchers in the field of economic migration research. The lectures covered topics such as migration and climate change, macroeconomic effects of migration for destination countries, political economy and cultural economics, effects of immigration on labor markets and productivity, and effects of ethnic diversity in destination countries. There was also an opportunity for participants to present their working papers and receive input from professors and other participants.

International Office: What do you take away from the event? In what ways did the participation enrich you academically and personally?

• Athina Anastasiadou: I learned a lot about measuring the macroeconomic and microeconomic implications of migration and about development effects of migration decisions. Since I am currently writing my master's thesis in this area, taking the courses was very helpful for me. I received a comprehensive overview of the current state of research on migration economics. In workshops, some participants presented their working papers and weaknesses were discussed together. This gave me an insight into the workings of an academic environment and a better understanding of what it means to pursue a PhD. Furthermore, the lively exchange with other international participants inspired me for future research projects. During several rounds of introductions, the participants presented the topic of their dissertations and papers. It turned out that one of the participants was working on a similar topic to mine, and we were able to use the opportunity to exchange information on the data situation and the latest literature in this field.

International Office: What opportunities were there outside of the lectures and workshops?

• Athina Anastasiadou: In addition to the lectures and workshops, we were also offered the opportunity to participate in a plenary discussion by Esther Duflo, who is currently a visiting professor at the Paris School of Economics. The topic was "Good economics for warmer times". Also, a boat trip across the Seine was organized as a leisure program, during which we got to see the most important sights of Paris. Outside of the lecture hours, I explored the city together with other participants and enjoyed the good weather.

International Office: How would you sum up the Summer School Migration Economics?

• Athina Anastasiadou: Participating in the PSE Summer School Migration Economics gave me the opportunity to interact with excellent economists in the field of migration studies. I also made valuable contacts and gained inspiration for my own research ideas. The contact with PhD students convinced me to pursue a PhD as well and strengthened my interest in migration economics.