Lent Term 2006 Week 2

Here's an example of my daily life as an economics PhD student at LSE interested in development economics.

Monday (16th):
1300-1400 Development & Growth PhD Seminar
1430-1600 Job Market Seminar by Tavneet Suri from Yale
1700-1830 LSE/UCL Development & Growth Seminar by Eric Verhoogen from Columbia
The rest of the day - Read Esteban and Ray (2001) to figure out how larger groups can be more effective in conflict.

Tuesday (17th):
Late morning - Have a brief chat wih Tim on my own research and on our Health & Democracy project.
The rest of the day - Following Tim's advice, try to find data on agricultural tax rates in Africa and East Asia for my own research and get to know Anne Krueger et al. eds. The Political Economy of Agricultural Pricing Policy (John Hopkins University Press, 1991).

Wednesday (18th):
Morning - Following what Tim told me yesterday, run a few regressions for the health & democracy project (in vain).
1600-1730 LSE/UCL Development & Growth Seminar by Alwyn Young from Chicago
The rest of the day - Read Suri (2005) for the health & democracy project.

Thursday (19th):
Morning - An idea occurs to me and run a few regressions for the health & democracy project (in vain).
Lunchtime - Have power lunch with Sonia (by power lunch I mean a lunch over which conversations are all about each other's research)
Afternoon - Read Montalvo and Reynal-Querol (2005) for my own research. Try to find a way to get around an ad hoc assumption made in the theoretical model that I'm working on - and learn that the marginal cost of insurgency must be convex.

Friday (20th):
Morning - Try to find data on cross-country infrastructure data for my own research and remember Canning (1998).
Early afternoon - Have a chat with Maitreesh (my supervisor) on my research and receive a couple of modelling tips, told to write a short memo of the model and its analysis based on which we can talk further.
The rest of the afternoon - Work on the theoretical model for my own research and come up with an idea to implement Maitreesh's advice.
1800-1900 EOPP Happy Hour
The rest of the evening - Talk to Tianxi on where the accountability of the Chinese government comes from and then to Madhav on our potential new research project inspired by today's EOPP Happy Hour. After coming home, read Lemieux (1998) from which Suri (2005) seems to get inspiration.

Saturday (21st):
Continue reading Lemieux (1998). Then start writing a short memo of the model, following what Maitreesh told me yesterday.

Sunday (22nd):
Continue writing a short memo of the model.