FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
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The Center for Advanced Hindsight (CAH) – Duke University Internship Programme The Department has established an internship agreement with the Center for Advanced Hindsight (CAH) at Duke University, primarily focused on offering students from the Department valuable real-world experience in their field of study. CAH generally partners with local governments, universities, employers, community organisations, and other groups to test creative policy solutions. This partnership will allow graduate students to participate in research activities during the sum- mer. It will enable them to learn more about working at an applied behavioural research lab, gain relevant skills, and contribute to ongoing research designed to improve lives. FISCAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE During the review year, Hon. Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance and the Public Ser- vice, engaged the Head of Department to establish a fiscal research institute within the Department of Economics. The institute would be a non-partisan think-tank dedicated to, inter alia , conducting advanced research, teaching, and enhancing postgraduate course offerings in public finance and public policy. It would play a crucial role in analysing and providing insights into economic and social policy decisions, particularly those involving public expenditure, taxation, and fiscal sustainability. The institute would assist policymakers and the general population in understanding the impact of public choices on individuals, households, firms, and the Government’s financial position. After the discussions, the Department produced a proposal and several iterations have been circulated and vetted by various internal and external stakeholders. The most recent is being updated based on discussions in ongoing meetings. Following these initial drafts, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD) have indicated their interest in partnering with the Department on this initiative. They have expressed their readiness to assist in whatever capacity benefits all parties. Several high-level meetings have taken place with these stakeholders to determine the extent of support from each entity. These discussions are also ongoing. During the 2023/24 Budget Debate, the Minister publicly announced financial support for this critical national and regional fiscal initiative in the Department of Economics. In his presentation, he outlined that the Government would pro- vide a $200 million endowment to facilitate the entity’s start-up. He also stated that he intends to secure support from the private sector in endowing the research entity.
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