From PSIA to G20 Taskforce

Mathea Bernhard and Laura Dugardin are two promising PSIA students in the Master in >International Development, in which success did not come by accident. Both interested in the topic of gender, they got to know each other in the course "Gender and Development in Theory and Practice" taught by Professor Maxime Forest, associate researcher at Sciences Po PRESAGE (Research and Educational Programme on Gender Studies) .

In this class on Gender and Development, the students gained essential knowledge that fostered the creativity required for practical work. Thus, after rich and critical reflections around the theme of gender, the students decided to write about a topic that is very pertinent and relevant to our society and the creativity and originality that was deposited in their political brief should also be praised. In this way, the students have created an ambitious brief that at its core aims to reshape global anti-discrimination efforts from an evidence-based and transformative approach with a regional focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. Furthermore, and very importantly, the students in their briefing made clear the importance that in order to understand these phenomena, one has to acknowledge the complexity of gender as a concept and including an intersectional focus. 

The outcome of this research is gathered into five actionable policy recommendations, in which the students address the gendered forms and impacts of corruption and we support both bottom-up and top-down approaches, with varying levels of institutionalisation.

Therefore, due to the quality of their research it is not difficult to imagine that their brief has sparked the interest of Prof. Forest. He was impressed by the quality and transformative approach of their work and given its relevance to the G20 2021 agenda on fighting corruption, he decided to submit an abstract for a jointly authored policy brief on this topic.

Against fierce competition Bernhardt, Dugardin and Forest were very pleased and honoured to share that their abstract has been chosen to be presented in the T20 Italy Summit in Milan.

The Summit took place between 4-6 October within the framework of the Think20, a group associated with G20 made up of think tanks that aims at providing research-based policy recommendations to the G20 policymakers. Moreover, their success did not stop there. 

They went even further when they were awarded with the publication of their policy brief in the T20 Recommendations Reports.

Mathea and Laura' story is unquestionably inspirational for all students, as they expressed in an interview with PRESAGE: “We have realised that although we are still students, we can create concrete outputs and make an impact with our proposals”. 

Therefore, the reality is that with this brief, the students not only had the unique chance to contribute first-hand to advancing gender in a major international forum, but they also became part of the T20.

To sum up, what is important to remember from this success story is that students can be keyplayers in decision-making. Therefore, with hard work, motivation, and curiosity, students are certainly capable of achieving far more. 

Congratulations Mathea and Laura.

Mathea is a master student in International Development and International Relations at Sciences Po Paris and the London School of Economics and Political Science. She graduated in International Business Management at Lancaster University Management School in the United Kingdom and ESB Business School in Germany. Mathea gained professional experience in the German Embassy in the Dominican Republic, in a human rights NGO in Nicaragua and as a consultant for a microfinance NGO in Tanzania. Moreover, she worked in the private sector in Germany, China and the United Kingdom, among others in a technology start-up and a management consultancy. Due to her passion for gender studies in international relations and international development, Mathea is especially looking forward to contributing to advance the international response to gender discrimination.

Laura is currently enrolled in the International Development Master’s program at Sciences Po. She is specializing in economics and Africa. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Business and Latin American Studies at EDHEC Business School, through which she had the chance to live in Chile, South Korea and Argentina. Laura has worked for various NGOs, in Cambodia as well as in France for the promotion of access to education and has worked for UNESCO in Paris. Moreover, Laura has been a France Youth Ambassador for the NGO The ONE Campaign, leading her to raise questions about the role of youth participation in bringing a change regarding development cooperation issues. Thus, she is committed to explore the multi-level governance leverages for vulnerable groups such as women to effectively access their economic, cultural and social rights