Initially she gained a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Economics from the University of Canterbury, she was also awarded study at Oxford University. After graduating in New Zealand, she did an internship at Motu Economic and Public Policy Research working as a research assistant for Arthur Grimes and Steve Stillman on a paper investigating the impacts of state housing sales and acquisitions on house prices and other area level characteristics.
She says, “Fascinated by the work being conducted at Motu, I then decided I wanted to pursue a PhD and eventually go into a research position. Later, I worked at the Reserve Bank on economic modelling and writing a paper investigating how we can incorporate forward guidance into our statistical forecasting models to improve their forecasting performance.”
Katy was first introduced to economics at King’s. “From the start, economics was my favourite subject. I’ve always enjoyed maths and I was initially drawn to economics because it’s essentially applied mathematics used to answer everyday questions. My interest grew as I delved deeper into the subject, realising that economics provides us with a framework and a toolkit to understand how individuals, firms, and governments make decisions.
“During nearly six years at Stanford, my research has focused on the optimal design of anti-poverty programmes in developing economies. This is an area of research that I believe is particularly important given the high levels of poverty and inequality in many developing countries today. While graduate school is undoubtedly a lot of work, I loved being at Stanford, surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the world. Moreover, I met my fiancé, who is also graduating with a PhD in economics.
“My job at the World Bank is predominantly a research role, so I hope to continue my research on optimal redistribution in developing countries. Eventually I hope to put my research into action and help with the design and set-up of anti-poverty programs funded by the World Bank.”
Robin Beckett (Marsden/Major, 1955-59)
