EPOG - Economic Policies in the Age of Globalisation – Erasmus Mundus Master Scholarship

OBJECTIVES

Persistent financial fragilities combined with growing income and wealth inequalities and the looming major ecological crisis represent major world challenges. Multiple studies show that the current inequality level is having a negative impact on economic recovery while the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is underlining the dangers and systemic effects of global warming. Therefore, a reorientation of economic growth and development towards long-term sustainability is becoming ever more crucial. As the world now appears increasingly uncertain, this context calls for a consistent and lucid rethinking of the economic policy base and implies an increasing need for well- integrated economic and social expertise contributing to the design and management of these policies.

Economic POlicies for the Global transition (EPOG+) is a world-class two-year integrated Master’s programme supported by the European Commission and tailored to addressing these future challenges. Its concept relies on the fact that designing, implementing and assessing economic policies for the required (digital, socioeconomic and ecological) transition processes calls for experts and highly trained researchers, with state-of-the-art knowledge and skills in specific fields, combined with a broader understanding of economic policy interdependencies.

The uniqueness of the EPOG+ programme relies on this “systemic/holistic” approach, i.e., the ability to offer each student a specific field of study related to the chosen Major (A- Knowledge, innovation and digital transition; B- Macroeconomics, finance and the socioeconomic transition; C- Development, sustainable development and the ecological transition), together with courses, seminars and activities related to the other Majors. By reconciling these two dimensions, graduates will be better prepared to address the related challenges and to bridge the academic and policy communities.

Although the courses will be delivered in the English language, the programme also aims to provide a multicultural training and grounding: it includes a (at least basic) knowledge of the French language for all, with the possibility of acquiring language skills in the language of the country where the student has chosen to study.

PARTNERS

• France: University of Technology of Compiègne (coordinator), Sorbonne University, University of Paris
• Italy: University of Turin, University of Roma 3
• Germany: Berlin School of Economics and Law
• Austria: Vienna University of Economics and Business
• South-Africa: University of the Witwatersrand
• And more than 30 Associated Partners in the world

Pedagogical organisation

The Director of the EPOG+ programme is David Flacher (University of Technology of Compiègne). He is in charge of the overall coordination of the programme. He is assisted by an administrative coordinator and a pedagogical secretary.

Each Major has an overall coordinator located in France:

• Major A — Knowledge, innovation and the digital transition: Philippe Steiner and Nathalie Coutinet
• Major B — Macroeconomics, finance and the socioeconomic transition: Antoine Rebérioux and Dany Lang
• Major C - Development, sustainable development and the ecological transition: Nathalie Blanc and David Flacher

They work together with local coordinators of each Major and Minor:

• At the University of Turin (Major A, Minor C1): Aldo Geuna, assisted by Alessandra Calosso
• At the Berlin School of Economics and Law (Minors B1 and C2): Eckhard Hein, assisted by Dagmar Hofmann
• At University of Roma 3 (Minor B2): Antonella Stirati, assisted by Daniele Morgia
• At the University of the Witwatersrand (Minors C1 and C2): Nicolas Pons-Vignon, assisted by Sajida Durwan
• At the Vienna University of Economics and Business (Minor C3): Manuel Scholz-Wäckerle, assisted by Roman Hausmann

Structure and content overview

The chosen specialisation (Major and Minor) determines most of the student’s mobility: one or two different universities during Year 1 and a (long) semester in Paris (September-February) during Year 2. For the last semester, students have the opportunity to their Master’s thesis in the most relevant context for their project, which can be a “research lab environment” or a “professional internship”.

Mobility

The choice of a Major and Minor determines student’s mobility (for Semesters 1, 2 and 3). The potential mobility during Semester 4 is decided at the beginning of Year 2, in relation to the Master’s thesis project. The Majors and Minors are:

• Major A — Knowledge, innovation and the digital transition
• Major B — Macroeconomics, finance and the socioeconomic transition with
  • Minor B1 — International macroeconomics and governance
  • Minor B2 — Socioeconomic and ecological economics
• Major C — Development, sustainable development and the ecological transition with
  • Minor C1 — Innovation and development
  • Minor C2 — International macroeconomics and development
  • Minor C3 — Sustainable development and the ecological transition

The Major and Minor determines the institution in which the student spends the 1st year (Semester 1 and Semester 2). Then, all the students spend the Semester 3 in Paris where they improve their specialisation and develop a common culture.

During Semester 4, students write their Master’s thesis (and can choose between completing a professional internship or working in a research lab). They can choose to spend this time in one of the institutions visited previously in their pathway or to go at one of the associated partner. The programme ends with the EPOG “Master’s conference” (end-June / beginning of July) and for those students interested, with a non-mandatory essay (to be issued by the end of August).