Alumni Voices
ERICA R. GALLARDO - Class of 2011/2012
After completing my graduate studies with MESCI, I was offered an internship with the Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations (FAO) at the headquarters in Rome. My duties involved researching and examining good agricultural practices and technologies for developing countries. During my time at FAO I had to opportunity to develop capacity building extension material for training agricultural workers in developing countries as well as draft web entries for the online platform, “Technologies and Practices for Small Agricultural Producers (TECA)”. Subsequent to my internship I was offered a project associate position with the NGO Innovations for Poverty Action in Kenya, managing a field office for a research project centered on agricultural technologies in rural East Africa.
FABIO PALMERI - Class of 2006/2007
After graduating in Economics, I decided to undertake MESCI to both deepen my knowledge in quantitative methods and develop a more practical approach to economic related issues. Through MESCI’s partnership with international organizations, I was able to secure an internship with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Following the completion of my internship, I joined the FAO in Food Security and Early Warning, where I am currently working as economist. My principal role at FAO focuses on monitoring and analysing food price trends at national and international level and their implications for food security. I had a strong ambition to work in the field of international development and undertaking MESCI significantly helped me to achieve this goal.
NAQIBULLAH ABDULLAH - Class of 2011/2012
I am Naqibullah Abdullah from western of Afghanistan – Herat city, with bachelor degree specialized in Macro – Economics from Herat University and Master Degree of Economics Development & International Development (MESCI), Honestly MESCI changed my life, following my completion of MESCI I did an internship program at Commonwealth Trading Partner INC, Alexandria, VA – USA, which was a great international work experience for me. Soon I finished internship program I backed to my country, and offered a job as project management consultant and district governance development specialist at UNDP/ASGP, which is a capacity development program for Afghanistan government. I am happy with this job; in addition I have recently registered an NGO by the name of Better Ideas for Development, and have cooperation with two private higher education Institutes as an instructor. I can’t thank you enough for what our professors, great coordinator of this program Mrs. Carmen Tata and other colleagues did for me, MESCI changed my social prestige in this less develop country. At the end I can’t forgot good time and memories with my classmates and colleagues in great Roma!
Thank you very much MESCI.
Steven Jonathan AYRES - Class of 2011/2012
Following my completion of MESCI X I was offered an internship at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) here in Bangkok, specifically working with the Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division. This involved working closely with senior economists, applying the knowledge gained through MESCI to a variety of economic and development issues in the Asia-Pacific region. After the successful completion of my internship I was offered a temporary position as a Development Policy Consultant, working on research and policy issues to contribute towards The 2013 Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP's flagship annual publication.
http://www.unescap.org/publications/detail.asp?id=1519
Eriona Zeqiri - Class of 2011/2012
I am Eriona Zeqiri from Albania with a degree in Faculty of Economy, a Master in European Economic Studies (MEES) and a Master in Development Economics & International Cooperation (MESCI). Immediately after finishing MESCI, I did the internship in Rome, at SIM SpA (Italian Company for Monitoring & Evaluation) from 02/07/2012-30/09/2012. I enjoyed all my period of internship because it was very helpful and I expanded my knowledge on the overall project’s dynamic world. I must emphasise that my Master in Development Economics and International Co-operation, gave me the right information in the Project and Programme Evaluation and of the Project Cycle. This made things easier in working simultaneously with more than one project at SIM S.p.A. At the end of the internship, I got a job proposal for working in the position of a Project Manager which I am actually doing. I deeply believe that this unexpected change in my life will definitely develop me professionally and will have a high impact in my future career.
VALENTINA CONTI - Class of 2006/2007
Master Mesci has been a challenging experience which has helped me a lot to point out and clarify my interest and motivation in doing economic research. Thanks to this master, I have acquired adequate research-related skills which have represented a good basis for my subsequent PhD studies. At the end of the master course I was offered an internship at the Economic Research and Statistic Division at the WTO (Geneve, Switzerland). This experience was quite beneficial since it allowed me to work in a multicultural context and to deal with people from various backgrounds. After my internship at the WTO, I was enrolled in a PhD programme entitled “Theory of Economics and Institutions (TEI)”, at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. During the PhD, I spent a year as a visiting scholar at the University of Leicester (UK), where I focused my studies and research on economics of education in Great Britain. My PhD thesis was entitled “Self-esteem, intergenerational social mobility and education in Great Britain” and I was awarded the title in July 2012. I'm currently a research fellow at the University of Tor Vergata where I work in the area of health economics.
VALENTINA COSTA - Class of 2009/2010
The genuine interest in different cultures and peoples of all over the world has always been the driving force behind my choices. After graduating in Anthropology (with a Major in Islamic Finance), my dream was to work for international organizations but I still needed to strengthen my knowledge of quantitative (mathematics, econometrics, etc..) and economic subjects in order to better apply anthropology to economics in developing countries. MESCI offered me the right tools to accomplish my goal. Thanks to professional teachers and lots of efforts at home, I was able to fill my gaps. After a 7-month internship at the UNDP Egypt, upon returning to Rome from Cairo I was fortunate to be offered a position as Administrative Manager and Lecturer at the Summer School Islamic Finance in Europe (CEIS). Afterwards, I was appointed as a Vice President of Micro Progress Onlus and I got a Research Graduate Assistant (GRA) contract at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Currently I am a World Bank consultant for the Adriatic Sea Environment Program (ASEP) and my tasks are collecting data and modeling activities of the Adriatic countries, as well as evaluating pollution internal and external effects, and costs and benefits of different intervention policies. Surely, then, MESCI was my turning point in life.
Saemin Shim - Class of 2010/2011
I joined the MESCI program as the second module of Mundus Urbano, the Erasmus European Double Masters program. Since 2012, I have worked as a research assistant at Hamburg Institute of International Economics. Here, I am assigned to the department of regional economics and urban development where I contribute to empirical research on New Economic Geography (NEG) and its policy implications for urban and regional competiveness. My main duty is to support ongoing research projects by providing literature reviews and conducting data analysis. Currently, I am working on urbanization processes in Korea since early 20th century and its relevance to the national economic growth, combining a theoretical background of microeconomics and empirical methodologies. The economics focus of the MESCI courses and workshops on a statistical program, STATA were invaluable to enrich myself to be an urban researcher with solid quantitative research skills. Without a doubt, my life with MESCI has been the most rewarding and exciting, with an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful city of Rome. My further research areas are concerning regional economic communities in Africa and their deepening regional integration to promote trade and enhance economic growth.
Nedaa Amraish - Class of 2009/2010
If I had to say about MESCI in one line, I would say (MESCI is a road that leads you to work in development with a huge basket of international organizations operating all over the world) MESCI is the right place for anyone who is interested in working on development projects or in development economics in general. MESCI gave me the opportunity to learn, develop my skills and fostered my knowledge in different thematic issues related to development, such as, poverty, rural and urban development, gender, child labour, and environmental economics and climate changes. In addition to, the quantitative part of economics and econometrics. MESCI allowed me to start an internship with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for six months, I worked in agricultural innovations under the Knowledge Sharing, Research and Extension division (OEKR), which I consider as a fruitful and learning process, and build up experience for my planned career, and currently I am working as a consultant, I moderate TECA (Technologies and Practices for small agricultural producers) platform, this platform is managed by FAO, it’s an agricultural technologies and practices repository, where small farmers producers can obtain practical and easy to understand information illustrated with pictures and videos when possible, another main service that this platform provides is the discussion groups, where members of the platform can raise issues and discuss.
maya terro - Class of 2010/2011
Prior to MESCI, I have attained a Masters in Public Health form the American University of Beirut with an emphasis on Health Management and Policy. Following that, I joined the MESCI program because of my interest to try to marry what I have already learned within the health sector to what I could learn from the Economic sector and employ this 'wholly' matrimony for the good of societies, especially those residing in to the Third world. My experience at MESCI has inarguably been one of the most fulfilling--aside from providing me with the quantitative and qualitative skills and know-hows pertaining to Economics and International Cooperation; I was also given the opportunity to touch base and form invaluable friendships with a variety of awesome students coming from across the 7 continents of the world. We've all grown fond of each other and formed what I'd like to call the 2010-2011 MESCI ‘familia’! Presently, I am working as a Research Assistant in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Olayan School of Business at the American University of Beirut. Corporate social responsibility aims at holding businesses responsible for their operations towards their stakeholders which include aside from their shareholders, employees, and customers; the society in which they operate as well as the community-at-large. I have grown fond of CSR, and I am looking forward to pursuing a PhD in sustainability or something along these lines. Having said that, on a personal note, I recommend MESCI for those interested in gaining a wide array of skills across the field of developmen.
RENAD DAWOUD - Class of 2009/2010
MESCI was one of my best experiences in life. I always hoped to work in the field of international development and for a reputable organization, and MESCI has helped me to achieve my dream through teaching me the core skills and subjects of development.
I am currently working for Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Palestine, which was established to implement the Korean government’s foreign grant aid and technical cooperation programs. And it aims to make a better world by helping to achieve the Millennium development goals.
My main responsibilities are monitoring and reporting aid trends for Palestine; following up trainees since KOICA offers different training programs in Korea; adding and updating KOICA support to Palestine into the Palestinian National Authority online aid management system; and supporting Israel/Palestine customs procedures.
SHANNON PATTY - Class of 2010/2011
I have an internship at the WFP Iraq Country Office in Jordan with the Vulnerability and Assessment Mapping(VAM) unit. We are working on the results from the Iraqi Knowledge Network(IKN) Survey, focusing on food security, expenditure, and the Public Distribution System(PDS). Currently I am preparing syntax in SPSS to use for analysis once the final data is released. Our hope is to be instrumental in improving the PDS' efficiency in reaching those who are most vulnurable to food shortage and food insecurity In Iraq. The MESCI program was highly relevent to this work because we are measuring poverty and trying to create better opportunities for growth and development. In addition, the technical skills in statistics and stata have aided me in learning a new statistical program. One cannot analyze food security without economics and statistics.
SARA SALOMONE - Class of 2004/2005
Sara Salomone was born in Rome (Italy) in 1979. She graduated from the University of Rome "Roma 3" in 2004 in Political Sciences. She holds a Master in Development economics and International Cooperation from the University of Rome "Tor Vergata" in 2005. She got a double Doctoral Degree in 2011 from both the Catholic University of Louvain and the University of Tor Vergata with a thesis titled "Four Empirical Essays on International Migration". She is now based at the Catholic University of Louvain where she has been working with Frederic Docquier from 2007. She will start a three years post-doc from the 1st of October 2011.
MARTA FIORENTINI - Class of 2009/2010
After graduating in Conference Interpreting and working for few years as a translator and an interpreter from Arabic and English into Italian, I ended up in the Research & Information department of the consulting firm McKinsey in Egypt. There I realized that a career as a researcher was the professional path I wanted to pursue and decided to apply for MESCI. I chose MESCI because its unique syllabus would have allowed me to strengthen my knowledge of quantitative and economic subjects and, at the same time, understand how to apply economics to developing countries. It was a challenging but rewarding year. Classes, especially quantitative ones, were absorbing but not easy for somebody who hadn't had a math class since high school. Yet, professors did a great job in making difficult concepts easy to understand and serious studying at home did the rest. Few months before the end of MESCI, I received a job offer as a macroeconomic researcher for the Representative of the Bank of Italy in Egypt. I was enthusiastic: all those hours of economics and econometrics did bear fruit! Not long after, though, I got and accepted a job offer from BSRIA, a UK-based company specialized in supporting the building services industry worldwide to comply with energy efficiency requirements. I am now working as a market research consultant for English, Italian and Arabic-speaking countries in BSRIA's Worldwide Market Intelligence department, where most of what I learned during MESCI helps me regularly for my everyday research activities.
PERRINE MAZAUD - Class of 2009/2010
I worked for 4 years in an investment bank, and my curriculum combined with Master MESCI allowed me to integrate the UN agency IFAD for an internship directly followed by a consultancy. During the internship, I had the opportunity to work on many different topics as remittances, microfinance, financial services associations in Sierra Leone, etc. within the Rural Finance division.
I’m now part of the Near East North Africa and Central Eastern Europe division, and I will develop a tool to monitor and evaluate the rural finance component of projects implemented in such areas. My previous financial skills and those acquired during the master helped me on a daily basis.
LESCRAUWAET EVA - Class of 2009/2010
I am currently doing a 6 month internship with UNHCR, Programme unit in Solwezi, Zambia and upon completion I will graduate from the M.A. in Development Economics and International Cooperation. I aim to pursue a career as a consultant in a leading inter-governmental organization in the field of Migration, Refugees and Development, with responsibilities and tasks being Programme (M&E) related such as impact assessments studies or monitoring of implementing partners.
DAVID SUTTIE - Class of 2008/2009
After completing MESCI I was fortunate to be offered a research position at CEIS, which included the opportunity to spend two months in Damascus working on an EU funded capacity building project in co-operation with the Syrian Ministry of Culture. Upon returning to Rome from Syria, I continued to work for CEIS, combining this with a 6 month voluntary assignment at FAO, where I was given an opportunity to co-write a study on gender aspects of rural employment. Following this, I worked with a small NGO on an education project targeted Burmese migrants on the Thai side of the Thai-Burmese border. Having completed my work in Thailand, I returned to Rome where I have been working for IFAD as a consultant for the past three years - aside froma short spell at back at FAO in the middle- working mainly on research and policy guidance on rural youth employment.
GIOVANNI MARINO - Class of 2005/2006
My experience at MESCI has been one of the most fulfilling giving me the opportunity to get in touch with students from different cultures and become close friends with them even outside class. From a professional perspective MESCI offers a chance to enter the field of International Cooperation through an academic preparation focused on quantitative methods, project evaluation and economic growth / developments, also internship in International Organization are available as final step of the program. Later I decided to move my carrier toward the Finance sector which I felt more attracted even enhancing quantitative skills gained during MESCI, I am actually senior consultant in the Financial Department of KPMG which role mainly involves analysis of business results, financial indebtedness, and support the business plan model implementation. I definitely recommend MESCI for those interested in development and as a great experience from a personal point of view.
MICHAEL RAHIJA - Class of 2008/2009
I decided to do MESCI because I have an undergraduate degree in economics and wanted to further my studies in this field. I found development economics to be both the most interesting concentration in economics and the most likely to lead to international opportunities. The advantage of this masters is that it gives the student a foundation in quantitative methods and economic theory while providing a practical overview of the multi-dimensional field of development. Shortly after taking final exams, I completed an internship with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN working on a software tool to harmonize international commodity coding practices. The internship was valuable because it gave me professional experience in the field of development even if only 3 months. After completing the internship, I earned a consultancy with the International Food Policy Research Institute on a project studying investment in agricultural R&D and capacity trends in developing countries. I recommend MESCI to those who have a desire to work in the field of development/international cooperation, but lack the tools and practical knowledge to get a start. Furthermore, MESCI is a quality MA for the price compared with other similar masters offered by universities in the US.
ALESSANDRO ROMEO - Class of 2008/2009
I am currently a PhD student in economics at the University of Rome Tor Vergata . My research interests are microeconomics and econometrics applied to development issues. From July 2009 on I have been working as a consultant for Economic Development Initiatives (EDI Ltd) in Tanzania and for the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). During this period I was involved with several activities financed by the World Bank aimed to collect clean and fast data using electronic survey technology. From February 2010 on I will work in Nairobi , as a World Bank consultant, to analyze Afrobarometer surveys. Before this, I was a MESCI student at the University of Rome Tor Vergata . MESCI is a good starting point for people who want to undertake careers in Development World , both at academic and international agencies level.
DANIELA BOLZANI - Class of 2008/2009
Working in the field of international cooperation for development was and is still my dream. The reason for this is surely linked to my desire to spend my working time and my intellectual skills in a ethical, useful and meaningful manner, and at the same time satisfying my desire to know different cultures and challenge my limits in language, communication and habits.
The decision to enroll in MESCI came from a personal and professional path made of a University degree in Business Management, followed by a 4-years professional experience first as auditor, in the private sector, and then as Country Administrator of a NGO in Ethiopia. I felt a need to change the specialization of my job, switching from the pure administration and financial part to a wider one. I am very satisfied about the choice of this Master: an international environment, a comprehensive program of studies and good exposure to academic and professional work. I carried out my final traineeship at FAO headquarters, in the Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division (ESDW), where I elaborated a policy brief to be published and support the work in the area of rural employment. I am enthusiastic about this experience and I think it was very useful to build a good network of contacts and a good understanding of possible ways to work in this sector in the next future.
THI NHU TRANG NGUYEN - Class of 2008/2009
Being a Vietnamese girl who was born and grew up in a developing country together with two and a half years working with NGOs, I am really interested in developmental economics and international co-operation because they are really important for my career and for my country in general. It was the reason why I chose MESCI and after finishing the course I returned to my country. I am currently working for GVC (Gruppo di Volontariato Civile) - an Italian NGO in Vietnam - as a Project Coordinator for two projects benefiting women, at the same time I also support another programme in my organisation which aims to support disabled children. MESCI has enlarged my perspective of development and it really helps a lot because in Vietnam, we don't have a lot of development professionals who have studied development related specialisations. I appreciate all the opportunities that MESCI has brought me.
NIK STOOP - Class of 2008/2009
MESCI has provided me with an extensive knowledge of the way in which the development world is structured. Through both theoretical and practical courses, we were trained in a wide array of topics. I found it very stimulating to study within such a diverse group of young people. Being surrounded by different cultures and learning from all their different approaches has been a fun and constructive experience.
For my internship, I chose to go to a developing country and found a position with an Italian NGO working in Tanzania. At the moment, I am carrying out an economic assessment for them in the Tanzanian Highlands. In collaboration with a Tanzanian student, I conducted many interviews to gather information on the currently existing Rural Income Generating Activities within our Kata (ward). The main focus is on the economical conditions that can help to stimulate local entrepreneurs to start their own small businesses. The conclusions of my study will be helpful for the NGO which is planning to start a micro-credit organisation in the coming months.
WENJIE SHI - Class of 2008/2009
July 1st, 2009, just as I decided to stay in Rome to finish my internship, United Nations Headquarters informed me of my recruitment as a two-month intern. Surprised, I should say, but more stressful, because I had no idea what was coming my way in the upcoming fall in New York.
Until now, I’ve officially become a member of GAID (Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development) under DESA (Department of Economic and Social Affairs) for one month. We were currently engaged in one specific project on how to apply ICT into development to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals, which is one of the most significant prgrammes of DESA, for the reason that in next year’s World Summit of MDG, our matrix on ICT and Development will be presented as a supplementary document for the MDG. Though my present job entails mainly academic research, some of my ideas, hopefully, will one day contribute to the cause.
I didn’t realize the importance of MESCI until I started my internship in the United Nations. It was the way of seeing and evaluating key development issues, the means of collecting related information, the ability of dealing with and considering so main ideas, and the ways of organizing knowledge – all imparted to me by MESCI courses that allowed me to work confidently with the whole team and contribute. It was MESCI that convinced me of the slogan:” WE CAN DO IT!"
WEIJING WANG - Class of 2006/2007
The Masters was definitely helpful and useful as it gave me a solid foundation in key subject areas such as food security, gender, quantitative analysis among others.
Upon graduation, I started as an intern, continued into a consultancy and now I am a national staff of the UN WFP. I currently manage a WFP/IFAD joint project on the Weather Index based on agriculture insurance. The project aims to reduce the vulnerability of the smallholders to weather shocks. I am involved in all project cycles and in particular in the demand assessment and Monitoring and Evaluation of it.
Additionally, I provide technical support and review on a joint analytical report of WFP/FAO/IFAD to assess the food security status in China. I work with Chinese counterparts to evaluate the effectiveness of the agriculture policies to the food security achievements in China and draw lessons and best practices for other developing countries, in particular for African countries.
I am also assisting in an analytical report aimed at outlining the impact on China of the international food prices and act as the WFP focal point and the Trainer of the Trainees on the formulation of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF 2011 -2015);
I am very happy to have attended MESCI as it has given me good grounding for an international career.
LORENZO BOFFI - Class of 2008/2009
MESCI has been a very qualifying and stimulating experience for me, both from an academic and personal point of view. After finishing the MESCI in 2009, I moved to Geneva for an internship at the ILO-IPEC (International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour) department. Currently, I am in charge of providing research results on local CSR efforts related to the elimination of child labour in three developing countries (Brazil, India, South Africa), analyzing their scope, progress and the various mechanisms through which they are implemented. Currently I am working at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the Private Partnerships Branch. It is only thanks to the skills acquired during the MESCI Master that I am now working in the international field. For this reason, I would suggest everyone who is interested in development issues to apply for the MESCI Master.
FEDERICO GIOVANNELLI - Class of 2007/2008
After my great experience at MESCI, I joined the Statistics Directorate of OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) as a trainee in July 2008 to work with the Global Project on Measuring the Progress of Societies. The subject matter of the Global Project – the measurement of social progress and well - being – is a complex and relatively new field, which touches on a wide range of disciplines, including statistics, economics, psychology, public policy, environment, international development and education. After a 7 months internship, I had the opportunity to join the National Accounts Division as an Auxiliary Statistician with a contract of 6 months. As a consequence, I have been working for the Quarterly National Accounts and for the Financial Statistics units since March. MESCI gave me the right tools to further my understanding of problems facing many countries in both the developed and the developing world and the ways of assisting them. Moreover, it gave me the opportunity to join the OECD and working with experts and think tank from international organisations and academic institutions. I would not hesitate to encourage anyone to attend the MESCI.
CARLOS DIONISIO PEREZ BLANCO - Class of 2006/2007
After finishing MESCI I decided to continue my academic career researching on environmental issues. My first idea was to return to Spain, so I did; but before doing so I stayed three months in Ecuador, working for a local NGO elaborating an economic analysis of rural income in El Carchi (north of Ecuador). Back in Spain I joined an inter-university phD program (M. O. en Análisis Económico Aplicado, Universidad de Alcalá and Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and during the lessons I started researching on water scarcity and water management issues in a project financed by the Spanish Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, together with Carlos Mario Gómez, one of the most important researchers in this field. During the course of this project I received an offer from the Spanish Research Council, which I accepted. Nowadays I’m working for the Council in a project which aims to compute the total economic value (both environmental and commercial income and capital) of some Andalusian productive units using green accounting. While working here, I’m also writing my doctoral thesis with Pablo Campos, who is the main researcher and director of the project.MESCI convinced me to join the academic sphere, and gave me the opportunity of improving my knowledge in many fields in which I was interested. Furthermore, I had the opportunity of meeting extraordinary people and an extraordinary city.
STEPHANIE REVERCHON - Class of 2006/2007
Once completed the Master I went back to Spain and began working as an engineering consultant (I am firstly graduated in the engineering field). Then, because of my interest for macro economics, I looked for a job in that field. I am now working as a broker in a Spanish investment bank, specialized in European Capital Market. I really love that job because it makes me have a global picture of economical and financial phenomena.
MESCI master gave me the chance to keep in touch with most of the more important development project and tools, to improve my English language and to keep in touch with people coming from all over the world.
MANUELA BUCCIARELLI - Class of 2006/2007
After finishing the MESCI I have worked in Yemen with UNDP, assisting the Pro-poor economic growth unit in the formulation of new projects about SMEs development and microfinance.
I am currently working as UNV in Cambodia with ILO. MESCI has helped me a lot to start my career in International Organizations.
AMNA MUHAREMOVIC - Class of 2004/2005
I have been working for the United Nations Development Programme Country Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina in a capacity of Portfolio Manager, leading the projects in the area of Public Administration Reform. In my work I focus on programme management, collaboration with government and donor partners, development of new project ideas and support to resource mobilization. MESCI was excellent preparation for my current work as it gave me interdisciplinary view of the development issues.
RODRIGO HORMAZABAL - Class of 2006/2007
After finishing the M.A. MESCI 2006/07 I have been working as Project’s Director in a Spanish NGO in Madrid, where I am responsible for the technical formulation, monitoring and evaluation of our projects. Besides, I have to coordinate all the project’s related activities and provide technical support to our expatriates in countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Guinea Bissau, Bangladesh, India or Lebanon, among others.The M.A. gave me a solid grounding in international development concepts, theories and approaches and the necessary skills to prepare, analyse and coordinate co-operation programs from a interdisciplinary perspective. Most important, the experience of MESCI gave me the skills to approach development problems with confidence and knowledge and the opportunity to meet and share with a group of incredible people.
DANIELE BIANCA - Class of 2006/2007After a degree in Foreign Languages and Literature I decided to join M.A. MESCI 2006/07, which has been a great opportunity for me to become more familiar with many different aspects related to economic growth and development. Throughout the year I interned at the American Embassy in 
LISA GIOVANNITTI - Class of 2006/2007 After finishing my MESCI Master, I have started working on the Double Degree Program in one of the most prestigious Business and Economics University in Milan.I am currently holding the position of International Alliances Manager Assistant, coordinating incoming and outgoing students who attend the Double Degree Program. As a part of my work, I am responsible of the development of new agreements with both European and non-EU Universities which have to guarantee the highest educational standards and highly qualified programs. Students who attend this program have the great opportunity to simultaneously obtain two different and prestigious degrees from two different Universities.
During the Master, I was particularly interested in the challenges that many countries are coping with educational issues. It is a great opportunity to work in this University because I have the opportunity of analysing and comparing different educational systems, provide solutions to reach a world-wide de facto standard on these issues and, of course, the chance of improving my knowledge of this important field.
MARIA ALEXANDROVNA OLOVJANNIKOVA - Class of 2006/2007
After finishing the Master MESCI I had the chance to do my internship in "Fondazione Manlio Masi", which promotes and develops the analysis of the main internationalization processes of Italian economic system.
I was responsible for a research on the role of non-fuel commodities in International economics with a closer look at the trade dynamics between Italy and Russia, my country of origin.
After having finished my internship I successfully joined the Rome team of one of the best private international universities of economics working as a didactic coordinator and being in charge of the organization of the courses of graduate and post-graduate programs.
NOEMI PACE - Class of 2003/2004
Noemi Pace is currently Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics, University “Ca’ Foscari” of Venice and Research Fellow at the Department of Economics and Business at LUISS Guido Carlo University in Rome. She is currently working on the investigation of non-standard theories of economic behaviour under risk and ambiguity.
She was previously Research Fellow at the Centre for International Health and Development at University College London where she was involved in research projects on the role of networks in development programs' and on their economic impact. In particular, she carried out a study of networks and linkages as they relate to the effects of a women group intervention in improving health outcomes in Nepal.
During her doctoral studies, Noemi Pace was a visiting researcher at the Center for Health Policy at Stanford University, where she was working with professor Jay Bhattacharya on a research project on the externalities of health insurance on body weight decisions in the US. She was also an intern at the Sphere Institute, a non-profit organization providing the government with expertise and technical assistance on a variety of health policy issues.
She has published in the areas of health economics and applied microeconomics. Her current research interests are health economics and experimental economics.
She previously worked as teaching assistant in undergraduate and graduate courses at University of Rome "Tor Vergata" and LUISS Guido Carli University, and as research analyst for the Investment Promotion Unit at the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Amman, Jordan.
She holds a B.A. in Economics, a Master Degree in Development Economics and a PhD in Economic Theory from the University of Rome "Tor Vergata."
FRANCESCA MATALUCCI - Class of 2003/2004
After the internship at FAO’s Agricultural and Development Economics Division – ESAF Unit (Food Security and Agricultural Projects Analysis Service) dealing with the development of a methodology to measure vulnerability to food insecurity, she is now working as an official at the Public Investment Evaluation Unit, Department for Development and Cohesion Policies (DPS), Ministry of Economy and Finance.
FABIANA CERASA - Class of 2006/2007
I started my internship in the Statistics Directorate of the OECD in August 2007 working on Business Statistics on the evaluation of commercial databases, in terms of coverage, concept, continuity, consistency, timeliness, cost and format of data. After two months of internship, I was offered the opportunity to work for the OECD on the project Researching and estimating international flows of remittances in the balance of payments in the Trade in Services division. Currently, I am in charge of the OECD Trade in Services by Partner Country database, and of the related annual publication.
Thanks to the M.A. I had the opportunity to do an internship and then a working experience at OECD, which is something really enriching and significant, especially if you want to do economic analysis and learn how to manage data. Moreover, especially working on remittances, I had the possibility to put in practice what I learnt attending lessons, and thanks to the master, I improved my written English, as well as my logical and methodical skills.
ANNA MARIA CAZZATO - Class of 2003/2004 On 2004 I worked in the framework of the master as researcher for the "Fondazione Giustizia e Solidarietà" of Rome in Guinea Conakry in Africa. I studied the financial effects of the enhanced HIPC initiative (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) in the country. The aim of the research was to understand if the current approach to debt relief is a viable instrument in the elaboration of the Poverty Reduction Strategy. My research achieved interesting results.On 2005 I worked for the Italian Foreign Ministry in Serbia as Junior Consultant.
Presently I’m working in Senegal as vice Coordinator of an Italian NGO. I’m charged of several tasks: local staff organization, economics and financial supervision, environmental project managing (Theme of Project: Plastic Recycling Process in two Senegalese regions), projects writing (Rural, Hydraulic and Environmental fields) and Public Relations (newsletter update of the “Piattaforma delle ONG europee”).
The M.A. gave me some important tools in project writing, managing and monitoring. Presently I’m working in two related sectors: research and field activities. Both domains benefit from the manifold matters dealt with during the M.A.
EVERT DE-WITTE - Class of 2005/2006
After having finished my internship at EuropeAid, I have been offered the opportunity to stay and work for the same Unit (Quality Support Group), in order to finish the project I was working on. It concerns a Seminar aiming at building co-operation among Member States regarding ex-ante quality assurance practices, which has been carried out in the light of the Paris Declaration and the EU consensus on development.The MESCI master has helped me to develop knowledge about different aspects of development studies I was, and still am, interested in.
Furthermore the Internship helped to put some knowledge into practice and to see how a big international player in the development sector functions, within itself but also in relation to other players. It has been a very valuable and amicable experience, which certainly had an added value for me personally. The internship made the master complete.
FRANCESCO SANTANGELO - Class of 2004/2005
At the end of Master I have had an internship at IPI (Italian Institute for Industrial Promotion) and after few months I spent a period of work in the same institute. In September 2006 I prepared three exams for PhD in the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and I was admitted in all the PhD programme. I have chosen one and now I’m attending the second year. In September I have been abroad for a period of study and research.
The knowledge that I have acquired during my Master was been helpful in preparing my exams for the admission to PhD. Moreover, my final internship at IPI has given to me the opportunity to have an important work experience.
ILARIA SIMEONE - Class of 2004/2005
After MESCI year of study in 2005, I worked, as an intern, at UNDP Yemen. After the four months internship, I got a contract that kept me in Yemen two years. In 2008, I served as international consultant in project evaluation and research activities on volunteerism and development matters at the department of Research and Development of UNV HQ in Germany. From 2009-2012, I was the Programme Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of UNDP Ethiopia. At present, I’m working as M&E Consultant for ‘Delivery as One’ in UNDP Lesotho. MESCI has been a great Masters in terms of substance, as well as in terms of networking with worldwide international organizations.
MARCO COSTANTINO - Class of 2003/2004 I have been intern at CTM altromercato for 8 months. During that period I have been in Kenya for a two months mission evaluating a programme financed studying the fair trade’s impact. After that, I have been working for about one year at the International Office of Formez where I have been involved in many international cooperation projects for the development of Public Administrations. In the meanwhile my impact study in Kenya has been published by a leading Italian editor. Actually I work at Finpuglia (an agency that offers technical assistance to Regione Puglia) where I am in charge of a big programme benefiting young people. I am still strongly interested in fair trade, writing papers and participating in many workshops and conferences, thanks to my experience in Kenya.
Comment on how the M.A. has helped you to develop the appropriate background to what you are doing now in a professional context.
First of all the M.A. has helped me to confirm my interest in international cooperation. Moreover it gave me the big opportunity to deepen my interest in fair trade, microfinance etc. in a scientific way. And last but not least, I have met many wonderful and interesting people (both alumni and professors).
GLADYS MORALES – Class of 2003/2004 
Gladys Morales is a graduate from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service with a major in International Economics. Gladys joined MESCI in 2003 after having worked in development consulting for five years. Previous to her enrollment in MESCI, Ms. Morales was a consultant for projects funded by the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and PLAN International. Following graduation from MESCI, Gladys joined the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a consultant in Food Security and Early Warning for four years. Ms. Morales lives now with her family in Manila, The Philippines where she runs her own consulting practice in Development Economics, particularly social development and poverty reduction, and rural finance and microfinance. Her clients include USAID, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and private consulting firms. In her free time, Ms. Morales contributes to the work of civil society organizations implementing health and education projects aiming at improving the conditions of infants, young children and women in the poorest areas of Metro Manila. She also enjoys volunteering her skills to advise female entrepreneurs on business relations and development.
LONG XIN – Class of 2004/2005 
I am pursuing the PhD at TEI, Faculty of Economics, University of Rome Tor Vergata. I am interested in doing researches on finance, economic growth and human capital.
I generated ideas for broadening my academic thoughts, especially into the real side of the economy. I became involved into considering how to bring the economy into sustainable growth through concerning more about the human capital and labour market.
SIGITA GOJKA – Class of 2005/2006 
After completing my master’s degree I went back to my previous job at the ministry of finance of Albania, fiscal policy department.
What I learned during master MESCi (part of that) was very helpfull for my everyday tasks as a specialist of fiscal policies, especially when related to the use of quantitative methods. Also many lectures on macroeconomic policies helped me, in particulare those related to exchange rate and economic growth, financial crises and macroeconomic adjustment.
LORENZO DE SANTIS – Class of 2005/2006 
After the internship at the ILO in Geneva I have been offered a three months contract to stay there as an external collaborator for the statistical department of the child labour (IPEC) project.
From next month I will start working as a research assistant at UNI (Union Network International) in Switzerland. Uni is an international trade-union that represents workers from all around the world. I will work for the IT/Service department
Comment on how the M.A. has helped you develop the appropriate background to what you are doing now in a professional context.
I mainly used the Stata software while working at the ILO. The introduction that I’ve received during the master was helpful, even though I think it should be given more importance during the master.
For my future job, I think that the fact that I studied in English for a year was relevant. My internship at the IlO was also well-considered by the recruiters.
I also participated in a concourse to enter the Economic Affaires of the United Nation in Geneva for which results will be given in Summer. Most of the things I had to study for the examinations were about the economics in general and the developing countries in particular. The courses given in the Master were in line with what was expected by the UN.
CRISTIAN ABISAMBRA - Class of 2004/2005
After concluding the Master in Development Economics and International Cooperation in 2005 I worked three years for the Programs Implementation Unit of the Sino-Italian Development Cooperation in Beijing (China). During this job I was in charge of the following tasks: (i) prepare the standard procurement procedures for all the projects financed through soft loan by the Italian cooperation (ii) train the Chinese beneficiaries on this procedures, (iii) assist the Chinese beneficiaries in the preparation of the tender documents and (iv) assist the UTL (Ufficio Tecnico Locale) in Beijing in the drafting of the international programs agreements and financial conventions. Following this experience I have the opportunity to work as a consultant for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in UlaanBaatar (Mongolia).
