{"id":3763,"date":"2020-08-20T13:16:28","date_gmt":"2020-08-20T11:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cerge-ei.cz\/?p=3763"},"modified":"2024-10-16T12:20:41","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T10:20:41","slug":"getting-back-to-research-after-presidential-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cerge-ei.cz\/?p=3763","title":{"rendered":"Getting Back to Research After Presidential Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dejan Kovac<\/a> spoke with us about his experience at Princeton University, running for president, and his research mostly focused on solving important policy questions in Croatia.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

While studying at CERGE-EI, you spent time at Princeton University. Can you tell us more about your experience as a PhD student there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was a once in a\u00a0lifetime experience, being able to work with some of the greatest minds in economics of our time. Just being at Princeton inspires you to be better, and collaboration\u00a0with top-notch economists puts it on a\u00a0whole new level. My journey to Princeton started during my PhD studies, when I had the honor to work with professors Jitka Maleckova and Alan Krueger on topics related to the economics of terrorism. At that time, CERGE-EI had started a great program funding short term research visits to top universities, so it was a natural\u00a0choice for me to follow prof. Krueger. Orley Ashenfelter, Henry Farber and Alexandre\u00a0Mas were also greatly helpful as I pushed my research to a new level.<\/p>\n

\"Dejan<\/a>
Dejan Kova\u010d at Princeton University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After graduation you returned to Princeton University as Postdoctoral Research Associate. What research projects you did you work on there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

After almost 2 academic years of working as a Visiting Student Research Collaborator in the Industrial Relations Section of Princeton, I secured a position in the Empirical Studies of Conflicts. I worked\u00a0with prof. Jacob Shapiro on several topics related to the economics of conflicts and the effects of political networks on long run economic growth. During that period, with a team of researchers from Princeton, Harvard, the London School of Economics and the Stockholm School of Economics, I worked on a research\u00a0study connecting family networks with college choices. We found a significant and positive effect of individuals following the same college choices as their older siblings across 4 countries: the US, Sweden, Chile and Croatia. Our research was featured in Forbes magazine.<\/p>\n

Finally, you decided to return to your home country, and in 2019 you were a presidential candidate in Croatia. What was your motivation to run for public office?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The general situation in Croatia and the lack of proper reforms aimed to increase\u00a0our living standards. For the last several years I have been highlighting the main structural problems of our economy and our democracy. Nobody listened, so I acted, simple as that. During my campaign I highlighted potential\u00a0problems we will face if there is a new recession and, unfortunately, we are now experiencing a really bad one. I still see no changes in our society. Our politicians\u00a0are maintaining the status quo.<\/p>\n

Your research is also focused on solving important policy questions in Croatia, e.g. in education and health politics. How is the situation in Croatia \u2013 have you been successful in implementing research findings into real policy?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was successful\u00a0for several\u00a0years, especially with my project for using AI in education policies, but my efforts were put on\u00a0pause for my presidential campaign, and now I am slowly getting back to it. The AI project was conducted with another CERGE-EI student, Marin Drlje, and the purpose was to design AI to help kids make good education choices.<\/p>\n

Though you are in Croatia, you still work at Princeton University as a Project Leader. Do you plan to return there? What are your professional plans?*<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, taking into account the current situation, I am working remotely at ESOC with prof. Shapiro on a few exciting new projects. One is connected to the upcoming recession and ways to mitigate\u00a0severe effects through\u00a0optimal policies.<\/p>\n

What has influenced you most from your CERGE-EI studies?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The high level of education we receive at CERGE-EI. I was surprised when I came to Princeton and attended several lectures. The level and the curriculum were almost identical. Also, our professors at CERGE who finished at top universities and have experience in top research. Next, the opportunities\u00a0we get for research visits. All of this makes CERGE-EI a great school.\u00a0 One thing is certain, if it wasn’t for CERGE-EI and its community I would not be at this level, and for that I am eternally\u00a0grateful.<\/p>\n

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*Since 2024, Dejan has taken the position as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard Center for International Development. Before that, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH), part of the Leibniz Association.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dejan Kovac spoke with us about his experience at Princeton University, running for president, and his research mostly focused on solving important policy questions in Croatia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":3765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[149,1,59,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-uncategorized","category-interview","category-phd"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t