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Discussion » TTL of the Month (December 2015) - Ciro Avitabile

TTL of the Month (December 2015) - Ciro Avitabile

1) Why PSIA? Why did you choose PSIA over any other bank instrument or product?

The PSIA is a very flexible instrument that allows an on-time response to the client requests.

 

2) What was the most embarrassing/challenging moment while working on this PSIA?

Initially the PSIA aimed at assessing the impact of a student loan to attend tertiary education on the labor market outcomes of the recipients, but part of the relevant information was not  accessible. It turned out that the PSIA could address questions that have become more relevant for the current policy debate in Colombia.


3) If you had to do this PSIA over, what would you do differently, based on the lessons learned from this one?

I would try to better understand from other TTLs the possibilities that a PSIA can give you.

 

4) Any recommendations for TTLs working on PSIAs – what are the top three things TTLs should always keep in mind when working on a PSIA?

       First, the PSIA is more flexible than you might expect. Second, it is good to share your findings early on, both with the counterpart and the rest of the community. This will allow to fine tune the  objectives of your work. Last but not least, in your analysis, try to combine quantitative and qualitative instruments.

 

5) What do you do when you are not doing a PSIA?

Reading about ECD, running, cooking and supporting a second league Italian football team.


   BIOGRAPHY


Avitabile.jpg

 

Ciro Avitabile is a Senior Economist in the Education GP. Before joining the World Bank, Ciro was an Economist in the Health and Social Protection unit of the IADB. He is the Task Team Leader of the Mexico Reducing Inequality of Educational Opportunities, and one of the coauthors of an ongoing regional study on higher education. His current research focuses on teacher training, and the impact of cash transfers on education choices and school performance in developing countries. He has published in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, the Journal of Human Resources and the Journal of Law and Economics. He holds a PhD in Economics from University College London and a Master from University Pompeu Fabra.

 



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