Hannah Clarke, Doctorate

The thing about economics at LSE is that they don’t let you get away with elegant mathematical models that ignore messy political realities. My professors constantly challenged us to explain why our theoretical predictions often fail spectacularly when governments actually try to implement them. That tension between economic theory and policy practice became the foundation of my research career.

My doctoral work examined labor market interventions in post-recession economies – specifically why some unemployment policies succeed while others create perverse incentives that make problems worse. It meant spending months analyzing policy data, interviewing displaced workers, and trying to understand why rational economic actors don’t always behave rationally when their livelihoods are at stake.

After six years of academic coaching, I specialize in helping students bridge the gap between economic theory and real-world policy analysis. Whether you’re studying monetary policy, development economics, labor markets, or public finance, the challenge is always translating abstract economic concepts into research that acknowledges political constraints and human complexity.

I’ve successfully mentored 195+ students across Economics, Public Policy, International Development, Finance, and Political Economy. What keeps this work interesting is the range of questions – analyzing cryptocurrency regulation one month, studying healthcare financing the next, or helping someone untangle the economic impacts of immigration policy.

My methodological toolkit includes econometric analysis, time series modeling, policy evaluation techniques, cost-effectiveness analysis, and qualitative research with policy stakeholders. I’m proficient with Stata, R, EViews, and various economic databases. Understanding institutional contexts is crucial – the same economic intervention can have completely different outcomes depending on political and social systems.

What makes my coaching distinctive is appreciation for the political economy of policy implementation. Economic policies don’t exist in political vacuums – they’re shaped by interest groups, constrained by institutional capacity, and influenced by public opinion. I help students design research that acknowledges these realities rather than assuming perfect policy execution.

The interdisciplinary nature of my approach reflects LSE’s institutional culture. Economics intersects with politics, sociology, psychology, and history in ways that pure theoretical models often miss. I encourage students to draw insights from multiple disciplines while maintaining analytical rigor.

Students frequently struggle with the scope challenge in economic policy research – macroeconomic phenomena involve countless variables operating simultaneously. I help them identify specific mechanisms or interventions that can be studied systematically while acknowledging broader economic dynamics they can’t control or measure.

The ethical dimensions of economic research matter enormously. Policy recommendations affect people’s employment, housing, healthcare access, and financial security. I work with students on understanding the distributional implications of their research and considering how findings might be used by different political actors.

My track record includes 92% of students successfully defending their work, but more importantly, many have gone on to positions where their research actually influences policy decisions. That connection between academic work and practical impact is what makes economic policy research meaningful.

The global perspective at LSE shaped my understanding of how economic policies transfer across different institutional contexts. What works in developed welfare states might fail completely in developing economies or post-conflict settings. I help students think carefully about generalizability and context-specific factors.

Research timelines in economics can be unpredictable – financial crises reshape policy priorities, election outcomes change research access, economic data gets revised months after initial publication. I help students build flexibility into their research plans while maintaining analytical focus.

What motivates me most is research addressing economic inequality and social mobility. How do tax policies affect wealth distribution? What interventions effectively support workers displaced by technological change? How do educational investments influence long-term economic outcomes? These questions have direct implications for millions of people’s life opportunities.

During my downtime, I’m usually exploring London’s markets (Borough Market has incredible food and interesting economic dynamics), attending policy debates at various think tanks, or practicing piano – there’s something soothing about musical precision after spending days wrestling with messy economic data. I also volunteer with a financial literacy program for recent immigrants, because understanding economic systems shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for people with graduate degrees.