This award funds a graduate student mentoring program that is part of a broader suite of efforts that work to broaden participation in Economics. The mentoring program is conducted by the investigator in collaboration with the American Economic Association's Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession. The mentoring program helps students from under-represented groups navigate a number of critical stages in their development as scientists as they go from the early stages of graduate study through completing dissertation research and starting their first post-doctoral position. Students meet regularly with their program mentors at a variety of professional conferences around the country. An annual workshop brings all participants together for research presentations; this workshop is held in conjunction with a summer program aimed at undergraduate students who are interested in careers in Social and Economic Science. The graduate students benefit from both working with their own mentors and are able to serve as mentors in turn to more junior students. The mentoring program also promotes the research and professional development of the student participants by funding travel to other professional conferences, travel to work with mentors or access data, and funds for other research expenses. Increasing the number of graduate-trained economists is in the national interest for multiple reasons. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in 2016 called for continued work to close the skill gap in the Economics profession, which is a Government-wide high-risk mission critical occupation (MCO). Experience demonstrates that some graduates of the mentoring program will go on to government service. Others will contribute by working as professors to train future generations of economists.
Program participants will be followed over time to help evaluate program success; this evaluation will include the full group of efforts to broaden participation by Hispanics, Blacks, and Native Americans in the Economics profession. Evaluation results will be used to develop new ideas and methods for future mentoring efforts.
