Vanderbilt University Graduate Program in Economic Development

GPED students travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina to meet with major players in the Argentinian economy to discuss issues facing the country today. Here they discuss renewable energy and learn about proposed policies to improve the energy sector at the Environmental Protection Agency of the City of Buenos Aires.

Three GPED alums meet at the World Economic Forum, years after graduation! The first picture is Mr. Saad Hayat Tamman with Mr. Firman Hidayat. The second picture is of Mt. Saad Hayat Tamman with Mr. Istasius Angger Anandito.

Both Hidayat and Anandito were Indonesian Government Delegates for the program. Tamman was participating as the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders Delegation.

Saad completed his graduate studies in economic development from Vanderbilt University, U.S., as a Fulbright scholar in 2014 and obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo in Canada in mathematics and actuarial science, with in 2009.

Saad Hayat Tamman was a Member of the Strategic Reforms and Implementation Unit at the Office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, during the entire tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), from August 2018 till April 2022. During this time, he advised cabinet members on critical reforms in agriculture, civil services and climate change, alongside supporting the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Institutional Reforms.

He was also a part of the core team responsible for the Prime Minister’s Performance Agreements with the Federal Cabinet. Saad also currently serves as the National Coordinator of the Living Indus initiative by the Ministry of Climate Change for the ecological restoration of the Indus Basin and is also a member of the Punjab Protected Areas Management Board. He is also a member of the 2022 Young Global Leaders cohort of the World Economic Forum.

Project on the Global Impact of the GPED funded by Chancellor’s office

We are so excited for this opportunity to highlight our GPED program. Stay tuned for updates.

Project on the Global Impact of the GPED funded by Chancellor’s office A project proposed by Kamal Saggi, Kevin Huang, and Brooke Talley (all of Economics), in addition to Edward Fischer (of Anthropology) has been funded by a Chancellor’s Sesquicentennial Grant. Only 15 grants were funded, with the purpose of engaging “with the university’s history, look[...

Congratulations, Class of 2022! We are so excited to see where life will take you next and wish you all the very best in your endeavors. Once a Commodore, always a Commodore!

ECON 7930: Field Experience in Economic Development students presented posters featuring the research projects they completed and enjoyed frozen treats to celebrate the end of the semester. Congratulations to all the students on completion of their projects:

"Income Inequality in Costa Rica"
Ning Ma ('22, China), Sherry Liu ('22, China)

"Indigenous People of Chile & Costa Rica"
Sai Gowtham Reddy Avilala ('22, India), Rohit Dongre ('22, India), Abdul Basit Amiri ('22, Afghanistan)

"Impact of Avancemos Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program in Costa Rica"
Zhiyang Zhang ('22, China), Jaylon Xie ('22, China)

"Costa Rica's Public Employment Bill 2021: Are Wages in the Public Sector Higher Than in the Private Sector?"
Thatcher Broyles ('23, USA), Kalika Likhi ('23, India)

"Wage Inequality: Nicaraguan Migrants in Costa Rica"
Megan Croly ('22, USA), Kendall Myers ('22, USA)

Today we celebrate the legacy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the scholar, economist, and champion of civil rights who transformed the social and political landscape of India on what would be his 131st birthday. Devoting his life to the emancipation of the oppressed, his contributions brought lasting changes to Indian society and gave a voice to marginalized communities around the world.

Dr. Ambedkar's birthday comprises part of Dalit History Month, which acknowledges and appreciates the history, experience, and accomplishments of the global Dalit community, to which many of our program's alumni belong.

students Rohit Dongre ('22, India) and Rohit Walthare ('23, India) pose for a photo op with Daniel Diermeier, who was officially installed as Vanderbilt's ninth chancellor at his investiture on Saturday. Diermeier began his duties as chancellor in July of 2020, but inaugural events were postponed to protect the health and safety of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more about Chancellor Diermeier's investiture here: http://vanderbi.lt/hqmvh

Ergisa Bejkollari ('23, Albania) and Urja Singh Thapa ('23, Nepal) traveled to Puerto Rico with the Turner Family Center for Social Ventures as part of Project Pyramid, an international immersion course offered by the Owen Graduate School of Management. Like many students, Ergisa and Urja chose to take the course as one of their electives.

Said Urja of the course: "Project Pyramid has been an invigorating experience. Initially, the course exposed us to numerous excellent case studies that highlighted some of the entrepreneurial interventions to address the base of the pyramid. One of my important takeaways included addressing poverty like any other business value creation, in which the consumers can make conscious decisions through dignity and choice." Ergisa reflects on the course's key theme of social entrepreneurship in an international context: "Our teams met with key stakeholders and engaged with local communities to understand the social entrepreneurship ecosystem. The two meetings that I enjoyed the most and learned mostly from, were the 'Brands of Americas' and 'El Nodo'. Not only did they give us more information on the Puerto Rico innovation ecosystem, but they also inspired me to focus more on the social impact approach of the economy."

Development Policy in Action: students met with members of the Maleku community, an indigenous people of Costa Rica and the smallest aboriginal tribe in the country with only 650 members left, to learn about their reforestation efforts and enduring tradition of using plants for medicinal purposes. The visit is a component of ECON 7930: Field Experience in Economic Development, a unique, hands-on course centered around a policy-relevant field trip to a country with a developing economy during spring break each year.

It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to longtime friend of the program Van Marie Kelley, who passed away the morning of October 11 at the age of 75. After serving on the GPED team as program secretary for 22 years, Marie retired from Vanderbilt in 2013. We are so grateful to have known Marie and will always remember her kind spirit and contribution to the program legacy. If you wish to make a gift in her memory, donations should go to the Humane Society or the Autism Society.

This morning, we were delighted to welcome program alumni Abdiweli Mohamed Ali ('88, Somalia) and Abdelghani Barre ('91, Somalia) back to the department for a visit. Since their graduation from the GPED, Ali (right) served as the prime minister of Somalia as well as the fifth president of the Puntland region, and Barre (left) currently serves as the Director of Strategic Planning and Research for Nashville metropolitan government. Congratulations to both on their momentous achievements since their days as GPED students!

New and returning students snapped some selfies in front of notable campus landmarks (and did their best impression of a soccer superstar) at GPED orientation this week! Can you guess where the mural in the first picture is located?