Internship at World Bank Headquarters (Kexin WANG)

From February 5th to March 27th, 2018, I conducted my internship in the Education Global Practice, East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Region at the World Bank Headquarters, where Practice Manager Dr. Harry Anthony Patrinos hired me as a temporary short-term consultant (intern). At the Bank, my direct supervisor was Dr. Dandan Chen who is a Lead Economist at the EAP Region. During my internship, I supported the China Secondary Education Reform team (Yunnan Province) in analytical work on labor market returns and education choices. Specifically, I examined household survey data to estimate the returns to education in China and analyzed school survey data to trace the current situation of secondary education in China.

China’s household survey data was collected by the China Institute for Income Distribution (CHIP). Eighteen typical provinces, both developed and less developed ones, are included in the data to be regarded as representative of the whole of China. I carried out data cleaning and descriptive data analyses based on China and Yunnan household data of 2002 and 2013, respectively. The goal was to present the situation of wages, experiences, as well as schooling years sorted by urban, rural, male, and female dimensions. I conducted comparative regression analyses on returns to education to observe changes in Yunnan province throughout these 10 years, and I compared the changes between China and Yunnan province within the same period.

School survey data (2013-2014) was obtained from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), which includes questionnaires on students, parents, and school administrators. I conducted descriptive data analyses on these three questionnaires, and I was able to obtain a deeper understanding of expectations on education as well as the current education situation and education issues in China from the perspectives of students, parents, and school administrators. Based on this, I was able to construct a comprehensive view of the current situation of secondary education in China; my contribution will provide more evidence for China secondary education reform project.

In addition to acquiring the analytical experience, I was also extremely honored to attend a number of seminars provided by professionals and prestigious education experts from the World Bank, where the focus was on education research and projects targeting to improve education in developing countries. Moreover, I had the opportunity of meeting and communicating with plenty of professional staff currently working at the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Global Partnership for Education (GPE). They possess rich experience and professional skills in development studies, field work experience, and education project experience in developing countries. Through my time with them, I established a clear view of international development work, learned how to prepare myself to deal with development work in the international organization, and built up important contacts for my future career.

Through my internship at the World Bank, I benefited a lot not only academically but also from a practical aspect—it helped to accumulate my analytical, research, and administrative skills and launch my career planning and development. I am more determined to be involved in the field of education development at the World Bank as an Education Economist. I firmly believe that this precious internship opportunity has played a vital role as a career starting point for me and laid a foundation for my future trajectory in this field.

I sincerely appreciate the kind support received from my direct supervisor Lead Economist Dr. Dandan Chen and Practice Manager Dr. Harry Anthony Patrinos. Finally, I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to my academic advisor, Professor Keiichi Ogawa, for arranging such a very meaningful and precious internship opportunity.

Authored by Kexin WANG (Master’s Student)