The LIEPP Launches the 6th Edition of Its Support Program for Young Research in Public Policy Evaluation

The LIEPP is launching the sixth edition of its support program for young research in public policy evaluation. This program is part of a partnership with Université Paris Cité. It is open to PhD candidates (who must be enrolled in a doctoral program at the time of application) and early-career researchers (who defended their thesis less than two years ago, with the thesis defense occurring after August 31, 2023). Eligible applicants must be primarily affiliated with a laboratory at Sciences Po or Université Paris Cité, regardless of their discipline.

Objectives:

The program aims to:

• Promote and support the work of early-career researchers.
• Facilitate the translation of academic research into useful insights for public policy evaluation.
• Encourage interdisciplinary dialogue among researchers, particularly to foster interdisciplinary projects.
• Enhance the visibility of early-career researchers' work among public sector actors and civil society, highlighting its contributions to public policy evaluation.

Laureates of the 2025/2026 programme

XIAN Jiaqing, economy, CESSMA (Université Paris Cité) : Construction and calculation of China's green GDP input-output model

The global economy is rapidly evolving, and as a major developing country, China continues to experience steady GDP growth. However, this progress often comes at the cost of resource depletion and environmental degradation. The traditional System of National Accounts (SNA) fails to fully capture these impacts, necessitating an improved framework. In response, the United Nations introduced the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA) to integrate resource and environmental considerations into economic metrics. This study builds on SEEA using input-output analysis to develop a green GDP input-output model. By incorporating resource depletion and environmental costs into economic accounting, the model enhances accuracy in assessing sustainable development. Unlike previous studies, it integrates these factors directly into GDP calculations using production, income, and expenditure approaches. Applying official data from China's National Bureau of Statistics, this research highlights the importance of green GDP as a key economic indicator, promoting sustainable growth.

RAVALIHASY Andrainolo, public health, CEPED (Université Paris Cité) : Une modélisation par narration quantitative : le cas de l'évaluation d'impact du projet MAKASI sur la transmission du VIH

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that mathematical modeling could be used by policymakers to assess public health decisions. However, their adoption as decision-making tools comes with a simplification of epidemic spread scenarios, which calls for a rethinking of modeling process. This research proposes to reconsider this process by studying the case of the MAKASI intervention. MAKASI is a social intervention aimed at reducing exposure to HIV infection among immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa living in Île-de-France. It aims to enhance their ability to access resources available through the healthcare system. Its implementation relies on a participatory approach that includes researchers and community-based organization stakeholders. We rely on this collaboration to co-construct a model to assess the intervention's effect on HIV transmission among the beneficiaries. The results of this research will explore how the modeling exercise can incorporate a participatory approach to provide a more grounded evaluation, combining scientific, experiential, and contextual knowledge.

MAYNIER Valentin, sociology, Cermes3 (Université Paris Cité) : Le rôle des psychologues dans les parcours de soins des enfants en situation de souffrance psychique et dans l’organisation des soins en pédopsychiatrie

Psychologists are playing an increasingly important role in response to a "crisis" in child and adolescent psychiatry, characterized by a growing demand for care and a declining number of child psychiatrists, resulting in difficulties in providing adequate treatment. The number of psychologists has doubled since 2012, and they are becoming central figures in this context. Their role has notably been the subject of public policy, particularly regarding the reimbursement of sessions in private practice—an initiative that has been contested by professional organizations. This research examines the evolving role of psychologists within the field of child and adolescent psychiatry, with a particular focus on the transfer of responsibilities from child psychiatrists to psychologists. It is situated at the intersection of the sociology of professional groups, the sociology of mental health, and childhood studies. The study aims to analyze the contributions psychologists make to the organization of care in child psychiatry.To this end, I employ various qualitative data sources, primarily interviews with psychologists and observations conducted in healthcare settings. This dissertation illustrates how the field of child psychiatry is being reconfigured in response to the current crisis, and how institutions are compelled to adapt their organizational structures accordingly. 

BORDERS Kane, economy/history/political science, Département d'économie (Sciences Po) : Matching Dutch Voter Surveys to Administrative Data: Unlocking New Evidence on Political Inequality

This project links two major Dutch voter surveys (DPES and LISS) to administrative records from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), creating a unique dataset combining socioeconomic and turnout data for nearly the entire Dutch population from the 1970s to today. It aims to address two core questions: (1) Does the median voter reflect the median eligible voter socioeconomically and politically? and (2) How have public policies and economic shocks shaped turnout inequalities? By overcoming biases in survey data, this project will identify turnout gaps by income, education, and political preferences, and evaluate the effects of electoral reforms, a childcare benefits scandal, and macroeconomic shocks like the 2008 crisis and COVID-19.

LAPI Thomas, economy, LIED (Université Paris Cité) : Analyse systémique du recyclage des métaux stratégiques dans les pays nordiques

The growing demand for metallic elements (copper, lithium, nickel, aluminum) raises major ecological and geostrategic concerns in the context of the energy and digital transitions. In recent years, many governments have begun deploying strategies to secure supplies of materials considered 'critical' and 'strategic,' placing emphasis on the potential of recycling. Alongside historical industries, new recycling facilities are emerging in the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland) with contrasting success. These initiatives highlight structural challenges in Europe, at the intersection of sustainability and geostrategic issues. This thesis analyzes the challenges of strategic metal recycling in the Nordic countries from a system and interdisciplinary perspective.

TEBOULLE Clémentine, sociology/gender studies, Laboratoire de changement social et politique (Université Paris Cité) : La fabrique du jugement pénal. Approche sociologique et comparative du traitement judiciaire des féminicides et homicides conjugaux en France

Intimate partner homicides have gained in visibility over the last few decades, leading to a renewal of research on an issue previously addressed via the reading of crimes of passion. This thesis lies at the crossroads between the sociology of law and justice and gender studies. Using a gender-based approach to the judicial treatment of intimate partner homicide and feminicide, it proposes to move away from the male perpetrator/female victim paradigm in order to analyze the making of criminal judgments. This second phase of the judicial treatment, situated between the presentencing period and the enforcement of sentences, has been relatively neglected by the very rich body of research on police and prison. This approach is thus designed to put the continuum of violence (Liz Kelly) at the service of a sociological understanding of the process. Starting from the experience of professionals and trials, the aim is to identify the nuances in the way defendants are dealt with, and to unravel the trends in the construction of judicial decisions, through the prism of the plural issues that drive them. By means of a qualitative survey mobilizing ethnographic observation, interviews and documentary analysis, the research places gender and intersectionality at its center and positions itself on the side of a consubstantial reading of social relationships (Danièle Kergoat), to which it intends to contribute in the judicial sphere.

BERNARD Bérénice, history/educational sciences, Centre d'histoire de Sciences Po : État et formation à la prise en charge éducative des jeunes enfants en Angleterre (seconde moitié du XXe siècle) : du sanitaire au pédagogique ?

While the history of early childhood education has long focused on the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, more recent periods remain relatively underexplored. Yet it is in the second half of the twentieth century that collective childcare provision experienced significant growth, closely tied to major economic and social transformations. In this context, many countries introduced training programs aimed at better preparing professionals working with young children. This project examines how this professional field has been structured in England since the mid-twentieth century, shaped by the combined influence of public policies in health and education, trade union activism, and evolving family expectations. It analyses the emergence of new professional statuses and their impact on training pathways, working conditions, and the life trajectories of female workers. The project will also shed light on institutional contrasts between England, France, and Switzerland— the latter two cases being addressed in the broader framework of my doctoral research—reflecting the diversity of pedagogical approaches to early childhood care and education.

MARTINEZ HERNANDEZ Alberto Gabino, economy, LADYSS (Université Paris Cité) : Horizontal Governance and Environmental Upgrading: Addressing Power Relationships in the Automotive Industry of the Atoyac Watershed, Mexico

This project analyzes the dynamics of horizontal governance and environmental upgrading processes in the automotive industry of the Atoyac watershed (Mexico), one of the most polluted areas in the country. By combining approaches from global value chain analysis and ecological economics, it explores how local actors – firms, public authorities, and civil society – mobilize different forms of power (structural, institutional, narrative, etc.) to either promote or hinder environmental transitions. Based on fieldwork (semi-structured interviews, mapping of actors and value chains), the project seeks to identify the differentiated effects of governance mechanisms on environmental and economic outcomes. It contributes to the evaluation of industrial environmental policies by highlighting the often-underestimated role of non-dominant actors – such as local government agencies and civil society organizations – in shaping sustainability dynamics within global production networks.

ROTH Johanna, economy, Departement d'Economie (Sciences Po) : Les demandeurs d’emploi sans domicile – logement ou emploi d’abord ?

Stable housing is a prerequisite for positive outcomes in many areas, such as employment, health and education. Yet, an increasing number of households in France and other countries are facing precarious housing conditions, with homelessness rates rising significantly. Despite the broad awareness of these issues, there is limited knowledge about the employment trajectories of individuals experiencing homelessness and about the effectiveness of large-scale public policies targeting this population. This project aims to address these important knowledge gaps by studying how homelessness impacts labor market outcomes.

CUKIERMAN Paul, geography, Géographie-cités (Université Paris Cité) : Amorcer la conversion écologique des « classes aisées » : la co-construction par la recherche et l’administration municipale des publics supérieurs des politiques de transition socioécologique de la Ville de Paris

French environmental policies have so far struggled to account for social inequalities, often promoting ecological transformation imperatives that overlook social and geographical differences. What few attempts at social targeting have mainly focused on working-class populations, perceived as disengaged from environmental concerns. These support schemes have been criticized for being both ineffective and unfair, as lower-income households are generally less polluting and more materially constrained than wealthier ones. In recent years, several scholars have therefore called— out of both pragmatism and a concern for social justice—for policies that more directly target upper- class groups, who are more responsible for pollution and more influential socially. In response to these calls, the action research project QuotIDF, conducted in collaboration with the City of Paris, explores the conditions under which a pioneering environmental policy targeting upper-class populations might be implemented. Combining qualitative interviews with institutional collaboration, the project aims to analyze how researchers and municipal administrations can jointly shape the upper-class 'publics' of local environmental policy.