World Bank Data Lab and MITx MicroMasters
World Bank Data Lab
Opportunity for GW Applied Economics students to work with the World Bank Data Lab's University Data Fellows Program
Through our partnership with the World Bank’s Data Lab, GW’s applied economics students have a unique opportunity to hone their research and analytical skills on a real-world project working with World Bank economists.
The World Bank Data Lab’s University Data Fellows program creates opportunities for the next generation of applied economists to work on international development challenges. Bank researchers submit project proposals to the applied economics program via the Data Lab and our program director identifies proposals that are suitable for the applied economics program. Students then choose their specific project from among dozens of options. Proposals may cover a wide range of public service and infrastructure challenges, among others, in emerging economies.
Our first group of Applied Economics MS students worked with their project leaders and research economists at the World Bank in Spring 2024 under the supervision of the Applied Economics program director. Through these projects, student teams earn academic credit by helping Bank teams solve their data challenges. World Bank staff are, in turn, responsible for supplying data and meeting regularly with the students to guide and advise on their work.
STUDENT BENEFITS
In addition to the opportunity to work on a real international development challenge, students are invited to World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C. to present their projects and connect with World Bank teams. In May 2024, applied students from GW and their World Bank colleagues discussed their collaborative projects evaluating climate change policies, identifying illicit financial flows and cross-border remittances, and building a database to link infrastructure and agriculture output.
Students may work independently or as a team. They may also collaborate with data science students who are participating in the Data Lab as part of their Capstone requirement.
GW’s applied economics students will conduct their work as an Independent Study project under the supervision of the Director of the Applied Economics program. The Bank may hire students as Short-Term Consultants (“STCs”) (receiving academic credit). GW students earn from 1 to 3 credits for this course.
STUDENT PROJECTS
This section highlights the research applied economics students conducted through the World Bank Data Lab.
Pulling Back The Curtain: Evaluating Illicit Financial Flow Risk Factors and Estimation Approaches
De-banking, the process whereby developing nations face exclusion from international financial partnerships due to perceived risks of illicit financial flows (IFFs), constitutes an obstacle to both global financial stability and international development, notably in regions such as the Caribbean. Using data from the Financial Action Task Force, this paper critically examines the prevailing practices within financial institutions that employ country-level risk assessments and Anti-Money Laundering/Countering The Financing Of Terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance to gauge the prevalence of IFFs.
Assessing Transaction Speed and Exchange Rate Margins' Impact on International Remittance Costs
The transfer of funds by migrants to their home countries, known as international remittances, constitutes a vital economic force, significantly supporting families and communities, especially in lower-income nations. Despite the importance of remittances, the financial burden imposed by high transaction costs, including fees and exchange rate margins, substantially reduces the efficiency of these payments, directly impacting the economic welfare of recipients. This paper investigates two primary factors that influence remittance costs: the speed and rapidity associated with processing transactions and the disparities between the market and the applied exchange rates for the customer.
Constructing a Data Set to Explore the Role of Transportation Infrastructure in Agricultural Development
This paper investigates the intricate relationship between transportation infrastructure and agricultural indicators in Africa. This study employs the specificity of Admin Level One and Two delineations in Africa to expand the scope of previous research by scholars such as von Carnap et al. (2021) and organizations like the FAO (Nelson et al., 2021), examining the relationship between transportation infrastructure and agricultural indicators at a county level. This approach isolates the true effects of transportation infrastructure at the county level and mitigates potential contamination arising from developments in capitals or other secondary urban centers that arise at the national level. By aggregating the Rural Access Index (RAI) with various agricultural indicators, such as yield, area planted, and fertilizer consumption, we can construct a base case for continuing to invest in transportation infrastructure within Africa as a means of increasing output.
Institutional Strength and Climate Governance: Assessing Administrative Efficiency and Environmental Taxation
With rising sea levels, climate refugees, and global warming, climate change is poised to dramatically reshape the global landscape. This underscores the importance of effective environmental taxes and institutional strength. The efficacy of a government’s environmental tax implementation relies on the efficiency of its tax administration. This study examines the influence of tax administration efficiency and institutional integrity on environmental tax revenues, while highlighting the role of corruption and carbon emissions on environmental taxes. This study also contributes to the understanding of effective environmental fiscal policies and their implementation, by investigating different institutional designs for global climate cooperation through panel data analysis.
MITX MicroMasters Pathway to GW
In November 2022, GW’s Master of Science in Applied Economics became a pathway program with The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MITx MicroMasters® Program. Through our agreement with MIT, GW will offer credential holders of MIT’s Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP) MicroMasters program the ability to obtain up to six graduate credits towards their MS in Applied Economics at GW. By obtaining credit for the MIT coursework, DEDP credential holders can save up to 20% of their total tuition cost and earn their MS degree at an accelerated timetable.
The DEDP Program, previously known as the MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Development Policy, changed its name in June 2023 to “Data, Economics, and Design of Policy'' to incorporate the new Public Policy Track and to reflect the expansion of the program’s curriculum. The DEDP MicroMasters offers two tracks, one in international development and one in public policy. DEDP elective courses in each track are eligible for credit under GW’s agreement with MIT.
GW will offer elective credit in our MS program for up to two (a maximum of six credits) of the DEDP elective courses listed below that a credential holder has earned toward the MicroMasters credential:
- The Challenges of Global Poverty (Introductory)
- Foundations of Development Policy (Advanced)
- Political Economy and Economic Development (Advanced)
- Good Economics for Hard Times (Introductory)
- Microeconomic Theory and Public Policy (Advanced)
To be eligible to receive GW credit for their MIT courses, DEDP credential holders must have passed MIT’s proctored exam with at least a B grade in each of the creditable courses and taken those courses no more than five years before applying to GW.
Please note that the DEDP elective courses that are eligible for credit in GW’s applied economics program may change.
Please contact GW’s applied economics program at [email protected] for additional information about the Applied Economics master’s degree and how to obtain transfer credit for your MITx MicroMasters DEDP credential. For information about the DEDP MicroMasters, contact the MIT program directly at this link.