Jules Bigot, a student in the Europe in the World policy stream the Master in European Affairs, has been a Young European Ambassador since the end of 2021. In this context, he took part in a mission in Moldova in February 2023. Testimonial.  

you ARE A YOUNG EUROPEAN AMBASSADOR, COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THIS IS AND HOW YOU WERE APPOINTED?

The Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) is a non-political initiative which aims at building bridges between the youth from the Eastern Partnership countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine) and the youth from the EU and the UK. Through the organization of various activities and our participation in different international events, we seek to raise awareness about EU cooperation in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) and to promote civic activism and youth participation to shape together a better future for our regions. Our network is organized into chapters, one in each Eastern Partnership country, and one in the EU & UK, which I am part of since December 2021. As such, my role as Young European Ambassador in the EU is to promote the Eastern Partnership and the culture of its countries within the Member states of the European Union, a very exciting task!

The selection process to become a Young European Ambassador is held every year in autumn and includes the filling in of an application form, which will be followed by an interview for successful candidates. The selection process is open to citizens from EaP countries, an EU Member states or the UK, aged 16 to 26 years old, interested in European affairs, the relation between the EU and the Eastern Partnership and ready to take part in voluntary activities in the network. 

As part of your missions, you participated in the "More EU in Moldova" event, could you tell us more?

The “More EU in Moldova“ event to which I participated in February was organized to kickstart this new year of cooperation between the European Union and Moldova and gathered Young European Ambassadors from the EU and from Moldova in Chisinau for a couple of days. Through different activities we tried to highlight the importance of Moldova for the EU and of the EU for Moldova. 

We for example took part in school visits throughout Chisinau and its region where we presented the EU’s history, its values, its principles of cooperation with Moldova, as well as the work of our network in the country. These presentations were also a good opportunity to exchange with the students who had a lot of questions about our countries and the EU. The idea here was to bring the EU closer to Moldovan students. 

This event included a day trip to Cahul in the south of the country where we visited the city’s business incubator and met local entrepreneurs who actively participate in the economic development of their country. In the Liceul Teoretic Piotr Rumeantev we visited a Digital Lab also financed by the EU where students presented their work which ranged from digital art to website design or digital service providing. These two visits showcased the EU’s strong support to local businesses and to the digitalization of the country, two key sectors for the future of Moldova and its youth.

Jules Bigot and other young European Ambassadors from different EU countries © European Commission

What were the highlights of this experience and what did you learn from it? 

This “More EU in Moldova“ event was a great opportunity to step out of the academic box, to have a more pragmatic approach to the topic of my studies: the European Union. Indeed, presenting and promoting the European Union in a candidate country and discussing with students about their expectations towards the EU was a unique experience and made me realize the beauty of this European project we are part of. Furthermore, meeting our fellow Young European Ambassadors from Moldova with whom we had been working online prior to this trip and discovering their country and culture by their side was certainly another highlight of this event, which gave us a different perspective on this rather unknown country in the West of Europe. Our trip to Moldova was a good reminder of the fact that there are more things that bring our two regions together than separates them, and of the need to continue this dialogue on a young people's level to build together the future of Europe. 

Do you have a message for students who would like to become a Young European Ambassador?

This network has allowed me to meet some of the most amazing people in the EU and the Eastern Partnership, who soon became friends. We all have different backgrounds and profiles but are united in our will to bring the Eastern Partnership and the EU’s civil societies closer together. If these words resonate with you, please do apply to become a Young European Ambassador in autumn this year and we will be more than happy to welcome you into our big family! 

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• The Master in European Affairs at the School of Public Affairs
• The Europe in the world policy stream at the School of Public Affairs

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?

As a high school student in Alès in the Gard region, my main teacher was a teacher of philosophy, who found himself sent to the Cévennes, a long way (in total) from his native Paris. I dared to talk to him about Sciences Po, a little haggard, a little ashamed, a lot dreamy. From afternoons of filing to blank tests, from French history to the principles of macroeconomics, I discovered the rigour of effort at the same time as I encountered freedom.

At Sciences Po, I looked for courses that would bring me closer to my first love: philosophy and literature. I liked writing and thinking. I had no fixed project in mind, but I was driven by a single goal, which some would still say was naïve, but I remained faithful to it: to serve the country that had given me the means to rise. 

From there, everything followed: public affairs, the Ena prep school*, local authorities, mission companies, then the ministry, and always this adolescent taste for writing. 

HOW DOES ONE BECOME A MINISTER'S PEN?  

By dreaming about it as a child! 

Any professional path is made on two legs: competence and meetings. Sometimes one leg is shorter than the other, but all this can be corrected! I keep in mind the words of one of my mentors: "We transform ourselves through effort, not through laziness". 

Effort, curiosity, desire in the service of work (or the other way round!) often lead us close to our childhood dreams... and to our adult dreams. 

WHAT CONTRIBUTIONS DID YOUR TRAINING AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS MAKE TO THE POSITION YOU HOLD TODAY?  

Where to start? A high level of self-demand. A sharp analytical and critical mind. And a network of alumni who are frankly quick to help each other. 

Preparing for the ENA exam was the most edifying period of my university career. On the day of the exam, on the starting line, you arrive with a level of knowledge that you know is unequalled. Never again in your life will your head be so methodically full.  

I am lucky enough to work with a minister who is also a neurologist. Every day I discover a little more about the most fascinating organ of the human body, its plasticity and resilience, on the borderline of muscle. My years at Sciences Po trained it to survive whatever the subject, whatever the moment. These reflexes of the brain, such as this integrated capacity to produce a plan in a few moments, i.e. an organised thought that unfolds, are precious assets in the job I do today. 

WOULD YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE TO GIVE TO A STUDENT OR FUTURE GRADUATE?

To listen to your instincts, with complete confidence, in all circumstances. I wish someone had told me that! 

I've seen too many of my peers try to fit circles into squares and suffer for it, come close to burn/bore/brown out and be stubborn. Convincing themselves that yes, when all around them was shouting no.

Chance and instinct, combined with the ability to look ahead, are the best allies for a rewarding and surprising professional life. We work as we like. With momentum.

*The ENA Prep has been replaced by the PrépaConcours. 

LEARN MORE

• The Master in Public Policy at the School of Public Affairs
• The Public Administration stream at the School of Public Affairs
• The Competitive Exams preparation at the School of Public Affairs (in French)

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC BACKGROUND? 

Originally from Lens, in the Hauts-de-France region, I passed my scientific baccalaureate there in 2013. I then joined the European campus of Sciences Po in Dijon in order to study a region that has always fascinated me: Central and Eastern Europe. These two years were among the richest of my life and allowed me to seriously learn Polish, to discover in detail the functioning of our European institutions as well as to meet students from all over Europe. To complete my bachelor's degree, I then did an international exchange at the Faculty of International Relations of one of the oldest universities in Central Europe: the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Back in Paris, I joined the Master in Public Policy from which I graduated in 2019. 

WHAT WERE THE MAJOR STEPS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL PROJECT? 

To perfect my knowledge of the professional world, I also benefited from one of the major strengths of Sciences Po in my opinion, namely the possibility of carrying out numerous internships during the curriculum. I did an internship in the office of the prefect of the Île-de-France region to deal with issues relating to the integration of refugees in the region, an internship in a public affairs firm and also had an experience in the public affairs department of the BNP Paribas group. However, the most enriching step for me was undoubtedly the few months I spent as an intern with the director of cabinet of Jean-Michel Blanquer, then Minister of French National Education. I was able to discover the functioning of the administration, the inner workings of a ministerial cabinet as well as French education policy. Finally, in 2019, I joined the Directorate General for Enterprise (DGE) within the French Ministry of Economy and Finance. 

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR POSITION TODAY AS A PROJECT MANAGER AT THE DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR ENTERPRISE?   

My job was quickly disrupted, at the beginning of 2020, by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Ministry quickly got into battle to support the French economic sector at a time when the country was at a standstill. For my part, I was responsible for designing and managing the solidarity fund for entrepreneurs in difficulty. During the few months that this crisis lasted, I participated in the drafting of more than 60 decrees in order to adjust the system as best I could to the changing health situation. More than 2 million companies were thus supported for an astronomical amount of nearly 41 billion euros. 

In addition, another current event has punctuated my experience at the Ministry: the French Presidency of the European Union. In this context, I participated in the organisation of a ministerial conference on the place of small and medium-sized enterprises within the European single market. I am also involved in many other issues such as public support for the growth of French SMEs and SMIs, the management of an associative network to support entrepreneurs in difficulty (the Portail du Rebond)...

WHAT CONTRIBUTION DID YOUR TRAINING AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, AND MORE PARTICULARLY THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION stream, MAKE TO THE POSITION YOU HOLD TODAY?   

The teachers at Sciences Po, and in particular at the EAP, were clearly a determining factor in my choice of direction. The fact that I was able to rub shoulders with many professionals during my studies was extremely enlightening in the construction of my career path. I remember in particular my lecturers in public finance or economics, who were in fact working at the French Ministry of Finance, and who gave me many very useful recommendations! 

WOULD YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR A STUDENT OR FUTURE GRADUATE? 

I've never appreciated advice given in a peremptory tone so I'll refrain from doing so. But I would perhaps just suggest to current students to multiply experiences in fields that do not necessarily appear to them as their own, especially in internships, in order to build a varied experience and become multi-skilled. And above all, not to limit themselves and censor themselves.  

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• The Master in Public Policy at the School of Public Affairs
• The Public Administration stream at the School of Public Affairs

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?

I graduated in the summer of 2020, from the Master in European Affairs at the School of Public Affairs. Prior to this, I completed a MSc in International Political Economy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA in International Relations with Spanish and French at the University of Exeter in the UK.  

Since early 2019, I have been working at the OECD, more specifically at the OECD Centre for Skills. I first started as an intern while I was still studying at Sciences Po, and had worked as a consultant before I began my current role of a Policy Analyst. 

How was the recruitment process at the OECD and what are the main characteristics of your job today? 

The recruitment process at the OECD can vary slightly depending on the specific position. The process I went through for my current role consisted of a pre-screening phase, a written test and a panel interview.  

In my job today, I work on developing policy advice for strengthening countries' skills systems and/or implementation guidance for implementing specific skills reforms. This typically involves in-depth analysis of the country's skills system, developing targeted policy recommendations and providing relevant international best practices that the country can learn from going forward. All of this is done through a collaborative process together with the country, and involves several rounds of engagements with a range of local stakeholders through workshops, focus groups and bilateral meetings. In my role, I have had the opportunity to work with a broad array of countries, including Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Portugal, and the Slovak Republic. 

What were the main stages in the construction of your professional project? 

From the beginning of my studies at Sciences Po, I knew I wanted to gain relevant work experience alongside my studies. In this respect, I was grateful for the simple and straightforward process through which Sciences Po signed off on my internship at the OECD (part-time during the semester), and for the support I received from the university. Equally, having the opportunity to pursue my professional interests during the last semester at Sciences Po allowed me to further progress in my role at the OECD, which then became the basis for the job that I have now.

What have been the contributions of your academic background at the School of Public Affairs to the position you hold today?     

Several of the courses I took during my studies, such as on labour markets policies in a comparative perspective, are directly relevant for my role today. The studies at the School of Public Affairs also allowed me to further develop several transversal skills that I now use in my job on an daily basis - most importantly analytical thinking, drafting and working in a team. Also, several of the projects I work on are carried out in close collaboration with the European Commission, which allows me to apply the understanding of the workings of EU institutions I had developed during my studies. I was equally able to further improve my French, from which I am now able to benefit given that the OECD's official languages are English and French. 

Do you have any advice for a student who wants to work in an international organisation today? 

There is a large variety between and even within international organisations in terms of their objectives and the areas of focus, so having an idea of the fields that one is interested in is a good first step. Once you figure out what roles you could see yourself in, my experience is that investing into research and preparation during the application process pays off. Reach out to people, use your alumni networks, ask questions and be proactive in your search. As recruitment processes tend to be competitive, do not be discouraged by rejection - I have myself received several before starting in my current role. Once you start at the job, make the most out of the expertise that will surround you, be willing to try new things, embrace the challenges that will come your way, and most importantly enjoy it!

learn more

• The Master in European Affairs at the School of Public Affairs
• The Europe in the world policy stream at the School of Public Affairs 

Nassim Larfa was selected in the ranking of 35 young positive leaders under 35 years old with the newspaper Les Echos Start and Positive Planet (January 2023). 

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND? 

Before my university education, my educational path took place exclusively in the town of Chelles (77500) where I still live today. 

I entered Sciences Po's undergraduate college in 2013 via the Convention d'Éducation Prioritaire (CEP) and then, after a year abroad split between Dubai and New York, I chose the Master in Public Policy where I did my M2 as an apprentice with the Mutuelle Nationale Territoriale (MNT).  

After graduation, I joined the Public Affairs Department of the Mutualité Française for two years. In 2020, following the first wave of COVID-19, I joined a consultancy firm specialising in the challenges of an ageing population, where I stayed for only six months. I then had the opportunity to join the Ministry of Solidarity and Health and the General Directorate of Social Cohesion (DGCS) in the midst of a health crisis, where I accompanied the return to normality in the EHPADs and the developments in this field. Finally, in June 2022, I joined the cabinet of the President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) Thierry Beaudet, as an advisor. 

WHAT WERE THE MAJOR STAGES IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL PROJECT?

My career has always been closely linked to two things: my commitment to associations and public policies. I have always been very involved in the priority neighbourhoods of the city (quartiers prioritaires de la ville - QPV), particularly in the Ambition Campus association at Sciences Po, and I have always been keen to work in environments that help advance causes that I consider essential. As a public policy enthusiast, I have naturally held positions aimed at promoting initiatives (Mutualité Française), laws (Ministry of Health) and the vitality of civil society (CESE).

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR POSITION TODAY AS ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE CESE?  

The missions allow me to intervene in the whole field of action of the CESE President. The aim is to provide the President, at his request or on his own initiative, with expertise on all the issues on which the CESE has expressed a position. These tasks are part of a more global strategy for communicating and promoting the CESE's activities, defined in close cooperation with the President. My responsibilities include relations with the regions. For example, I am responsible for strengthening the CESE's presence in the regions by working with the regional economic, social and environmental councils (CESER) in drawing up reports and with associations of local elected representatives. 

If I were to describe working in a cabinet with a senior executive, I would describe it as demanding and stimulating. Indeed, the global strategy defined and implemented is mixed with the urgencies linked to current events and the President's own wishes. So, for all these reasons, a typical day in the office does not exist. 

WHAT WERE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF YOUR TRAINING AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, OF YOUR APPRENTICESHIP, TO THE POSITION YOU HOLD TODAY?  

The training I received at the School of Public Affairs has been particularly valuable throughout my (short) professional life. Indeed, its multi-disciplinary and demanding nature allows a perfect understanding of institutional mechanisms. Moreover, it provides the keys to better understand a variety of subjects within often tight deadlines. 

The apprenticeship is an opportunity to put into practice the theoretical knowledge acquired during the training. Moreover, my apprenticeship at the Mutuelle Nationale Territoriale (MNT) was an opportunity to integrate an ecosystem. I then joined the Fédération Nationale de la Mutualité Française, thus placing my professional career in the field of social democracy. Today, my functions at the CESE owe a lot to this learning experience. 

WOULD YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR A STUDENT OR FUTURE GRADUATE?

My advice would be threefold: first of all, stay focused on your career goals. You should always be one step ahead so that each work experience fits into the final position you want; 

Continue to pursue your passion. For example, I continue to play football in what can modestly be described as the best team in the Ile-de-France region, the Senior 3 Project of the US Vaires-sur-Marne (laughs). Keep a balance between professional and personal life. 

Finally, it is essential to pursue your associative commitments. Indeed, professional life can tend to "institutionalise" our attitudes. In this respect, involvement in associations brings as much to the person who benefits from the action as to the person who carries it out.  

learn more

• The Master in Public Policy at the School of Public Affairs
• The Public Administration policy stream at the School of Public Affairs
• The apprenticeship at the School of Public Affairs

The School of Public Affairs (EAP) offers two possibilities to students who are interested in research:

1) Master 2 students can choose to write a thesis as part of their off-campus semester in semester 4 (four options are offered: thesis, internship, university exchange and personal project);

2) Master 1 students who are already interested in research and who wish to deepen their skills in this field can follow an in-depth course, from the 1st year of the Master, called the research track.

"CLASSIC" path: THE master's THESIS OPTION IN M2

In order to respond to a growing demand from students wishing to study a subject of their choice in greater depth, to acquire in-depth analytical skills and to familiarise themselves with research methodology, EAP offers the opportunity to devote the last semester of your studies to writing a thesis, while benefiting from methodological support. Each year, some forty Master 2 students choose this off-campus semester (semester 4).

IN-DEPTH COURSE: "RESEARCH TRACK" FROM M1

Students in the first year of the Master's programme who wish to develop their research skills in the social sciences, or even consider an academic career, can join the research track. 

This course is open to about ten students each year, selected on the basis of their applications, and is based on a partnership with the Master's degree in political science at the Sciences Po School of Research. It offers a hybrid programme between these two schools, which allows selected students to follow theoretical courses, quantitative and qualitative analysis courses and research methodology workshops from semester 2. Students write a research thesis (longer than the one expected in the classic programme) which they can defend in front of an enlarged jury, allowing them to apply for thesis funding at Sciences Po.

During this course, students remain enrolled at EAP and obtain the diploma of this sole school.

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• Presentation of the Master's thesis option (semester 4) at the School of Public Affairs
• Presentation of the research track at the School of Public Affairs (from M1)

On September 28th 2022, as part of the School of Public Affairs' Culture Masterclasses, Sciences Po welcomed the Belgian filmmaker brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for the release of their latest film Tori and Lokita, the film critic Jean-Michel Frodon and Diaphana’s CEO Michel Saint-Jean. This meeting was an opportunity to understand  how to edit, create, and distribute a socially engaged film alongside artists and professionals from the film industry.

WRITING, DIRECTING AND CASTING TORI AND LOKITA

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne began by describing the writing and directing process of Tori and Lokita. Even before writing the script, they knew that they would tell the story of a friendship between two young migrants, driven by the conviction that friendship is essential during such ordeals, as it allows one to maintain trustworthy relationships while being far from home. The filmmakers then wrote their film as an act of resistance against the dominant discourse in society. To do so, they studied the situations experienced by immigrants in Belgium. This step was fundamental in the creation process: the directors got the chance to discuss with the police to obtain information on the drug and arms trafficking scene. They also met with directors of migrant reception centers in Belgium and learned about the administrative workings of unaccompanied exiled minors’ welcoming in the Revue de l'enfance et de l'adolescence. Finally, the two artists explain that their script was shaped and structured from the writing of the main characters. For Luc Dardenne, the film was only born when Tori and Lokita began to exist.  

A key moment of the meeting was the two brothers’ fascinating elaboration on the staging of their works. They remain faithful to several principles that they replicate from set to set: they shoot the scenes in continuity, that is to say, following the narrative order of the script; they keep the sets throughout the entire duration of the shooting (up to two and a half months); they organize several weeks of rehearsals in the sets, even if they are unfinished, with or without the actors, whether professional or not; and they film in long sequence shots (one shot in Tori and Lokita lasts seven minutes).   

Regarding distribution, Michel Saint-Jean presented his job, which is the last step of a film’s production line. According to him, the fundamental question that every distributor must ask himself is why a particular film should be distributed. However, the distributor is called upon to intervene at various stages of the film's creation: he or she reviews the script that the Dardenne brothers send him or her, takes care of the creation of the poster, the choice of the release date and the number of copies of the feature film to be supplied. As far as Diaphana is concerned, Michel Saint Jean specifically distributes films that he loves profoundly or that question the world we live in. He also says he likes to create long-term artistic partnerships, such as those with the Dardenne brothers or Ken Loach.

THE SINGULARITY OF THE DARDENNE BROTHERS' CINEMA: WHAT IS A SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CINEMA?

What is an engaged artist? Luc Dardenne declares that a film is political as soon as it focuses on an individual. "If we manage to film the individual, we are already committed to massification”. Art is interested in individuals, in details, in living things, and for Jean-Pierre Dardenne, their commitment as filmmakers is to remain at the characters’ level without taking them as objects of study. Although "meaning emerges from the material," this does not mean that the characters should be used to produce a discourse, however benevolent. 

When we ask the two artists about what makes their social cinema unique, Jean-Pierre Dardenne answers with a simple quote from the Neapolitan playwright Eduardo de Filippo: "If you look for style, you find death. If you look for life, you find style”. They acknowledge that their experience of documentary filmmaking allowed them to learn the technique. When they realized that they began to give great importance to directing, they finally turned to fiction. Furthermore, both brothers point out that the shaping of their characters is influenced by the different portraits they created in their documentary films. Thus, tese characters exist before, during and after their passage on screen.

"Masterclasse Culture" with the Dardenne Brothers on September 28, 2022 © CD/Sciences Po

Jean-Michel Frodon emphasizes that this is precisely the heart of a committed artist’s work. He conceives the brothers’ cinema as a carrier of movement, thought and sensitivity. Their cinema questions the way we live together from singular stories and seeks the possibilities of creating a common space. He also identifies two singularities in Tori and Lokita: the film’s simplicity and the exploration of the adventure genre. The two young people have adventures, but they are set in reality, without falling into the Hollywood buddy movie, often built around male friendships. The Dardenne's latest film features an unusual pairing: a fusional and combative duo formed by a little boy and a teenage girl. According to the film critic, this original friendship story suggests the power of creativity, inventiveness, courage and unique strength that could not exist in other situations.

FRENCH CINEMA IN CRISIS? FROM EMPTY CINEMAS TO THE ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGE

The French film industry is facing an unprecedented attendance crisis. Michel Saint-Jean, Diaphana’s director, alerts us to the seriousness of the situation: French cinema is going through its most difficult time since 1895, when the first movie was screened in a theater on Boulevard des Capucines in Paris. The Additional Solidarity Tax (known as TSA), a tax on cinema tickets, is the backbone of the entire French film industry ecosystem and, accordingly, the drop in ticket sales is undermining its sustainability. Its operation is based on a threshold of approximately 200-220 million admissions per year. However, since the covid crisis, the number of admissions has dropped by 30 to 40%, reaching an average level of 140-150 million admissions per year. In that sense, Michel Saint-Jean tells us that we must invent and distribute more intelligently. The absolute urgency is to bring the public back to theaters, but the distributor admits that the exorbitant prices of movie tickets is problematic. 

Jean-Michel Frodon insists on the importance of proposing innovative cultural policies in order to continue to discover, think and understand our world through cinema. The way they are designed today is, according to him, the main explanation of the structural crisis that the French film industry is going through. Simple subsidisation is no longer a sufficient policy to support creation and distribution.  

The last question we asked our four guests proved to be a thorny one. What about the ecological transition in film production and distribution in France? Michel Saint-Jean, a little forbidden, confesses that the subject challenges him as a spectator and citizen, but not really as a distributor. Jean-Michel Frodon elaborates by telling us that the CNC has recently published a regulation imposing a new framework for energy and electricity consumption in movie theaters. He deplores, however, the fact that this policy is only "cosmetic", and reminds us that one of the major ecological challenges for the film industry remains the environmental footprint of international festivals. Thousands of visitors fly across the world for a few days in Cannes, Venice, New York or Toronto, so the question remains: how to reconcile these important cinematographic moments with the ecological transition?

As for Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, they have even raised the possibility of making a film about a climate refugee and recognize that ecological aberrations are still common on film sets, from the abundance of plastic water bottles and the multitude of motorized vehicles used.

Overall, the first Culture Masterclass of the year 2022-2023 offered Sciences Po’s students the privilege to listen to professionals and artists talk about the film industry, cultural policies, cinema and art at a time when French cinema is undergoing a profound crisis. Eléné's closing word, the meeting’s highlight, shook the room with laughter. Our comrade paid a nice tribute to the film by evoking the ritornello "Alla Fiera dell'Est" that Tori and Lokita sing in chorus (but that she refuses to hum), while reminding the assembly of the heavy task the four guests charged us with: simply "save French cinema" and create new ambitious cultural policies, "not only by giving money", referring to the inefficiency of the subsidy policies pointed out by Jean-Michel Frodon. Eléné's speech, both tender and incisive, ended the first Culture Masterclass of the year 2022-2023 in style: institutions as well as the film industry’s actors themselves have the responsibility of addressing this structural crisis while proposing ambitious cinematographic projects that tackle society’s economic, political and social fractures. 

Article written by students of the Culture policy stream at the School of Public Affairs: Liv-Ophélie Forsans, Louise Hottinguer, Louise Leport, Romane Levi, Eléné Pluvinage et Maya Soler.

Private screening organised for students on the morning of 28 September at the cinema Le Silencio des Prés © CD/Sciences Po

en savoir plus

• The Culture policy stream at the School of Public Affairs (French track)
• The Cultural Policy and Management stream at the School of Public Affairs (English track)

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?

I started my academic journey in Italy, with a degree in International Studies at the University of Trento. During these three years, I was particularly interested in European affairs and I had the opportunity to participate in several Model European Union simulations all over Europe: in Zagreb, Sofia, Tallinn, Paris. I also did an Erasmus exchange in Valencia, Spain, and then decided to deepen my knowledge of the links between Europe and Latin America by writing my thesis on the relations between the EU and Mercosur, in Buenos Aires. 

After my degree, which was more focused on international relations, I chose to specialise in European affairs, with a master's degree at the School of Public Affairs at Sciences Po.

WHAT WERE THE MAJOR STEPS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL PROJECT?

I started to take a closer look at communications when, during my master's degree at Sciences Po, I realised how important it has always been in politics, and especially nowadays. So I enriched my studies with courses in political and digital communication. I also chose to do my second year of the master's degree as an apprentice, as a digital communication officer at the Social Ministries. I was in charge of the editorial management of the website of the Ministry of Labour and that of the Ministry of Health, which allowed me to get a feel for institutional communication online and in times of crisis, as it was the year 2020, at the beginning of the covid-19 crisis.

At the same time, I was an ambassador for European careers for EPSO (European Personnel Selection Office) among Sciences Po students. In my missions, I used internet communication and the organisation of events - mainly remotely, due to covid - to share information and exchange good practices in order to start a career in the European institutions.  

One of the major steps in building my career path was my experience in the private sector. Being a small company, I had the opportunity to be confronted with a 360° communication: from social networks to event organisation, from press relations to community development. This allowed me to develop my skills and to understand what I preferred to do among the many forms of communication nowadays.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR JOB TODAY AS A COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AT THE DGE?  

Today I am in charge of internal and external communication for the Digital Economy Department at the Directorate General for Enterprise (DGE) at the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty: I coordinate the department's communication actions, being the main contact for the communication office of the DGE's General Secretariat and the Ministry's Communication Department. I organise and lead conferences, institutional events, seminars, trade shows and activities specifically designed for specific sectors of the French economy.

Internally, I facilitate communication with the aim of sharing knowledge among the more than 130 staff in the department. I design communication projects: production of newsletters, development of content for the website and social networks, creation of infographics; I contribute to media communication actions (TV production, media campaigns), I ensure compliance with standards such as government charters, accessibility, etc.

Lastly, I am pleased to be able to support the department's structural coordinator in the internal management of the department.

In addition to my duties as a communications manager, I am also a member of the DG'Elles project team. Created as part of the DGE's action plan on 8 March 2021, DG'Elles is the Directorate's first professional women's network and aims to be a forum for exchange and mutual support for the women of the DGE, as well as a vector for raising awareness of equality for all agents. Since its creation, the DG'Elles network has set up a mentoring system for the women of the directorate, organised exchange breakfasts for the women of the directorate, conferences open to all on themes relating to gender equality, as well as coaching workshops on work-life balance and success for women.

WHAT CONTRIBUTIONS DID YOUR TRAINING AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, AND THEN YOUR APPRENTICESHIP, MAKE TO THE POSITION YOU HOLD TODAY?  

What I am most grateful for from Sciences Po is the possibility to create my own study plan, while following guidelines and compulsory courses, which gives the possibility to train in several fields at the same time. 

Extremely formative experiences during my M1 were the Collective Project and the Public Policy Incubator: these allowed me to confront myself with the world of work and to see the exchanges between the public and private sectors, which then led me to choose the DGE as a representative of the State towards the French economic sector. 

The second year of the master's degree as an apprentice was an opportunity to be trained in a professional setting for a whole year and thus to be able to increase my skills quickly and be immediately operational when I left school. 

WOULD YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR A STUDENT OR FUTURE GRADUATE?

Be curious, take part in all the conferences that interest you and in the projects proposed by Sciences Po, get involved in an association, put into practice what you have learnt on the benches of 27 rue Saint Guillaume and don't close any door. You have all the capacities to shape your destiny as you wish.

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• The Master in European Affairs at the School of Public Affairs
• The Politics and Public Policy stream at the School of Public Affairs
• The apprenticeship at the School of Public Affairs
• The Public Policy Incubator at the School of Public Affairs

A very... spacey cooperation! A role-playing game to learn how to cooperate between international actors in an international space mission

"Exploring the world beyond our Earth - can Europe do it alone? This was the theme of one of the sessions of the "European Space Policy and Space Law" course. To make this notion of cooperation in the space world more concrete, a negotiation simulation was organised, allowing students from 1st and 2nd years of Master to take on the role of an expert within a space agency, a scientist in charge of an instrument, or an industrialist in charge of building a satellite for a mission. A lively and instructive exercise!

The pitch - a new planet and a scientific potential to explore

Great news! A group of international scientists has just discovered a new planet, called "27RSG", located outside our solar system. Based on initial observations, “27RSG” appears to have very interesting geological and atmospheric properties. Further knowledge of this planet could lead to very important discoveries about our own planet Earth, and about the conditions for the emergence of life. Therefore, there is a shared international interest in setting up a new scientific mission to reach and observe this new planet and to make an approach to its surface. It is time for agencies, scientists and industry to mobilise for this mission, Scientific Probe for Infinite Planet Observation (S-PIPO).

The exercise - defending positions while finding compromises

Each student was transformed into an ESA expert, a plasma detector specialist, or a technical engineer for the construction of the mission's satellite... 25 different roles, and as many positions to defend, with convergences but also differences! 

With a few initial elements of position, the first step was to allocate the roles and responsibilities of each person, in order to understand the different players around the table.

Diagram of the distribution of responsibilities during the simulation

Unfortunately, the life of a space mission is not a long quiet river, and many unforeseen events occur (natural disasters, health crises and their economic repercussions, technical problems, legal constraints and social protests, etc.). Each actor has therefore had to adapt, to compromise... but also sometimes to convince partners to support their positions.

Students at work!

Feedback - the importance of good communication

First of all, the good news is that the negotiations (sometimes tough!) allowed the mission to be completed - "S-PIPO" was born!

Above all, the exercise highlighted the importance of continuous communication between the various stakeholders to avoid misinterpretation and to reach agreements that are endorsed by all. In the heat of the moment, it is sometimes tempting to take certain things for granted when they deserve to be clearly expressed!

Furthermore, everyone was able to discover the diversity of positions and points of view among the actors involved in the mission: a space agency does not always have the same priorities as its country's scientists, nor the same constraints as industrialists!

This role-playing exercise illustrated the sometimes subtle alliance that must be found between respecting one's own positions and the need to find compromises in order to make progress together.

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• The Master in European Affairs at the School of Public Affairs
• The Europe in the World policy stream at the School of Public Affairs

Each year, about fifty students choose to write a thesis as part of their off-campus semester at the School of Public Affairs. They engage in a course of study that allows them to deepen their expertise in a field of public policy of particular interest to them, while benefiting from pedagogical and methodological support during their second year of the Masters.

This experience allows students to discover a real interest in the research field, like Manon Fortemps, who graduated in 2022, and who was awarded a prize by the French Evaluation Society for her thesis, during a ceremony held in Lille on 17 November 2022. Testimonial.

COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC BACKGROUND AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU DECIDED TO WRITE A THESIS?

I graduated with the Master in Public Policy, Economics and Public Policy stream, from the School of Public Affairs at Sciences Po. It was during my exchange year at Georgetown University (Washington DC) that I discovered development Economics. During my time in Washington DC, I attended conferences on the topics of development aid, poverty and inequality in vulnerable states, and international solidarity policies. Being immersed in a capital city that houses the institutions at the heart of the international financial architecture for development, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, made me aware of the central paradox of development aid. The poorest and most aid-dependent populations are located in countries where conflict, political instability and corruption hampers the flow of international aid. My thesis was an opportunity to study in depth the criteria for the allocation of official development assistance. 

COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR TOPIC OF ANALYSIS AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OF POLICY EVALUATION?

My thesis investigates the relationship between the "Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA)" and the volumes of development aid received by developing countries. The CPIA was developed in the 2000s by the World Bank to support the institution in its allocation of development aid. My thesis reveals that the aid flows received by a country are positively correlated with its CPIA score, and that the better thescore on the section of the CPIA that assesses political stability and good governance, the larger the volumes received. In concrete terms, this confirms that the World Bank acts as a standard-setting institution in the development ecosystem and that the CPIA criterion has been rapidly adopted by many public and private organisations for the allocation of their development assistance. Furthermore, the premium on political stability and good governance raises the question of the relevance of using the CPIA in a context where three quarters of people in extreme poverty are located in fragile and conflict-affected countries characterised by political instability and poor governance.  

TO WHAT EXTENT HAS WRITING YOUR THESIS ENRICHED YOUR ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND YOUR CAREER OPPORTUNITIES?

Writing a thesis was a unique opportunity to familiarise myself with social science research and to improve my methodological rigour. While writing my thesis, I joined the OECD Development Assistance Committee, which allowed me to refine my research and meet scholars and practitioners involved in development assistance. Writing a thesis also gave me a passion for research which I intend to pursue as I am currently in the process of applying for a PhD. 

TELL US ABOUT THE FRENCH EVALUATION SOCIETY'S THESIS AWARD, AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OF PUBLIC POLICY EVALUATION?

The French Evaluation Society (SFE) awarded my thesis in the category "Reflection on evaluation practices". The mission of the SFE is to contribute to the development of evaluation and to promote its use in public and private organisations. This mission is in line with the School of Public Affairs' thesis, since its purpose is to formulate public policy recommendations based on rigorous and thorough scientific research. The award ceremony, organised during the Journées Françaises de l'Evaluation, was an opportunity to meet researchers and practitioners and to exchange views on the themes of evaluation and development. I encourage all students who are embarking on the adventure of writing a thesis to apply for this prize, so that their work can have a concrete impact on the field of public policy evaluation.

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• The Master's thesis option at the School of Public Affairs (off-campus semester)

On November 16, the students of the Digital, New Technology and Public Policy stream of the School of Public Affairs were delighted to welcome Ms Paula Forteza, former member of the French Parliament. Ms Forteza drafted many reports related to digital government, digital rights, and digital democracy. Additionally, she worked for Etalab, a program of the French Prime Minister in charge of open data and open government policy. Throughout her career, she stays committed to democratic innovation, engaging closely with the civic tech ecosystem and as a member of the French Parliament, she contributed to translating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into French law.

Ms. Forteza discussed with us the topic: "Digital and democracy: Will digital technologies save or sink democracy?". She passionately shared her experience in the French Parliament where one of her main commitments was to open the institutions to civil society in order to make them more transparent and democratic. She achieved these goals thanks to digital tools that also proved to be useful in crisis management.

First, she explained how she launched the Open Office (Bureau Ouvert) which gathered experts from various fields with the objective to open up Parliament to citizens. Several projects were developed in this framework such as “The Citizen’s Question” platform where citizens can propose questions to Members of Parliament (MPs). This formed a direct channel to question the government about certain issues. Ms. Forteza, through the Open Office, was also highly committed to increasing transparency of public life: her team created a platform “Open Parliament” (Parlement Ouvert) on which MPs can publish their expenses. 

These projects are in line with Ms. Forteza's long activism for open data. During her mandate, in order to increase transparency for citizens, she published her agenda in order to better understand the functioning of lobbyism activities in the National Assembly. Her expenses as a deputy were also made public. She worked on opening the National Assembly to citizens, notably through streaming sessions on Twitch. Still with the idea to open the National Assembly to civil society, Ms. Forteza organised and promoted hackathons at the National Assembly. They aimed at bringing together the administration and hackers to collaboratively work on solutions on various subjects such as public financial data or the results of the Great National Debate. 

While digital tools can become prominent for institutions to increase citizens' democratic participation and regain their trust, they also raise concerns about data privacy. Thus, in the end, Paula Forteza shared with us her experience on digital regulation issues. According to her, regulation is a powerful tool in the hands of states and institutions to help us prohibit or limit bad practices. Ms. Forteza believes that the European Union is the right level to work on regulation. Major regulatory texts such as the GDPR, the Digital Service Act (DSA) or the Digital Market Act (DMA), have shown the capability of European countries to be pioneers in this field. Alongside these efforts, Paula Forteza advocates for developing democratic or private digital tools by design in order to prevent bad practices and uses. She argues that private companies should not build the internet of tomorrow, which is why she believes that internet governance should be treated as a public good open to all.

Article written by the students: Yasmine El Ghazi, Karin Hess, Deepal Khatri, Léa Roubinet and Simonas Zilinskas.

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• The Digital, New Technology and Public Policy stream at the School of Public Affairs

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND? 

After a scientific preparatory class, I first entered an engineering school (ENSTA ParisTech) where I followed a course in applied mathematics. I then joined the Nexter company, which produces military equipment for the French Army, as part of a graduate programme. This enabled me to hold various positions during the two years of the programme, in particular positions at the frontier of technical and commercial subjects (innovation, creation of new products, etc.).  

At the end of my graduate program, I was admitted to Sciences Po in the Master in Public Policy, Security and Defence policy stream. I chose this policy stream because it allowed me to keep a certain logic in my career path while opening up to subjects that were far removed from those taught in engineering school! After graduating from Sciences Po and a few internships in public administration, I joined the Directorate General for Enterprise as a "cybersecurity industries" project manager. After having held this position for almost two and a half years, I will start in a few days a new position as project manager for "frequency allocation and mobile deployment". 

WHAT WERE THE MAJOR STEPS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL PROJECT?

The most important step for me was to understand that my vocation was not to go into a particular technical field in depth (like my fellow students who had done a thesis), but rather to learn how to explain complex technical subjects to a non-specialist public and to know how to combine them with broader issues (legal, geopolitical, political, etc.) which allow a global vision of the subjects dealt with. I think that in a society in which scientific and technical subjects are becoming increasingly important, there is a need for people who are able to translate these subjects into terms that decision-makers can understand, and this is what I want to do in my career. 

Moreover, I also quickly realised that I wanted to work for the State. Firstly because it gives meaning to the work we do every day, but also because I believe deeply in the role of the State in organising society and guiding its development. 

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR JOB TODAY? 

The position I have held up to now consists of working on the development of the French cybersecurity sector. First of all, it is a question of identifying the challenges facing the industry and then proposing public policies capable of responding to them, by mobilising all the levers at the State's disposal (regulatory and financial in particular). In concrete terms, I worked in particular on the implementation of the national acceleration strategy for cybersecurity and the setting up of the Cyber Campus. The challenge of this position is to succeed in understanding the technical subjects, to be able to translate them into terms of public policy and then to defend them with our contacts (ministerial offices, other administrations, etc.)  

In a few days, I will be taking up a new post as 'frequency and mobile deployment' project manager. In this context, I will have to get involved in European and international work aimed at regulating the use of the various frequency bands and coordinate the work of a project manager on the subject of mobile network deployment in metropolitan and French overseas territories. Here again, one of the main challenges of this position will be to succeed in moving beyond technical considerations to translate these issues into public policy terms and bring them to the attention of decision-makers. It will also have a managerial dimension that interests me for the rest of my career. 

WHAT CONTRIBUTIONS DID YOUR TRAINING AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, AND MORE PARTICULARLY THE SECURITY AND DEFENCE policy stream, MAKE TO THE POSITION YOU HOLD TODAY? 

First and foremost, my training at Sciences Po enabled me to acquire a truly open mind: designing and implementing public policy requires taking into account a wide range of issues without being an expert in all of them. Having studied at Sciences Po allows you to quickly realise that something is missing or has been poorly taken into account and, if necessary, to be able to ask an expert. The quality of the speakers at Sciences Po and the opportunity to discuss their backgrounds also helped me a lot, as these discussions give a better understanding of the way decision-makers think and how they make decisions. 

In particular, the Security and Defence policy stream gave me a good general knowledge of the issues involved in this field. Working in the cybersecurity sector means working in a sector where the organisation is very complex and constantly changing. The courses in the policy stream gave me the basis for understanding the issues underlying these changes and enabled me to better understand the role of the various players in the sector. 

WOULD YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR A STUDENT OR FUTURE GRADUATE? 

My first piece of advice would be to have self-confidence: coming from an engineering background, I was very surprised by the fact that many students at Sciences Po doubt their professional skills, whereas most of them seemed to me to be extremely bright. Sciences Po students have the ability to learn quickly and to mix knowledge in very diverse fields, which are essential skills in the professional world! We should not think that employers are necessarily looking for people who know the smallest details of the positions they offer. The important thing is to be able to learn quickly and my experience in the general management of companies has shown me that Sciences Po students are capable of doing this. 

My second piece of advice would be to start thinking early on about what you want to do in the future, even if it means changing your mind regularly: the idea is not to set yourself today to know what you will be doing in 20 or 30 years, but to set yourself a direction that will make it easier to move forward, even if it means branching off later according to opportunities or your desires.

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• The Security and defence policy stream at the School of Public affairs