African School of Economics

African School of Economics (ASE)

Type	Private
Established	2014
President	Leonard Wantchekon
Academic staff	20
Administrative staff	40
Location	Abomey-Calavi, Benin
Campus	Rural
Current Degree Programs	Master in Business Administration (MBA) and Master in Mathematics Economics and Statistics (MMES)
Colours	White and Blue
Website	www.africanschoolofeconomics.com

The African School of Economics (ASE) is a private university headquartered in Abomey-Calavi (Cotonou, Republic of Benin). It is the expansion of the Institute for Empirical Research in Political Economy (IERPE, IREEP in French), founded in 2004, into a full-fledged pan-African university. Faculty members come from top universities in the US, Canada and Europe.^[1] Currently (2015) it offers two graduate programs at the Masters level: Master in Mathematics, Economics and Statistics (MMES) and Master in Business Administration (MBA). Eventually, it will offer a wide range of graduate degrees in Business Administration, Public and International Affairs, Quantitative Methods and Economics, and Development Studies, as well as executive degree programs.

Mission, goals and core values

Mission and vision

The African School of Economics aims to address the dearth of quality tertiary education, cutting-edge research, and innovative public policy in Africa by creating an incubator of qualified business leaders and social scientists. It will be a world-class school of economics, management, and social science that will contribute to the growth of the African economy through outstanding education, creative research, and effective solutions.

The African School of Economics will firmly establish itself in the top tier of African business schools and be recognized as a global benchmark for industry as well as for thought-leadership in selected knowledge fields. ASE will contribute, through empirical research and economic theory, to designing public policy in Africa.^[2]

Goals

The African School of Economics combines African roots with a global outlook, and it is eager to fulfill its commitments by pursuing excellence in the following aspects:

• To provide students with superior training in their chosen fields of study; a well-rounded education that nurtures their creativity, critical thinking, global outlook, and cultural awareness; and a campus life that prepares them to be community leaders and lifelong learners.
• To be a leading institution for research and postgraduate study, pursuing knowledge in both core and applied areas, and collaborating closely with government agencies, business and industry to promote technological innovation and economic development.
• To provide an open environment conducive to the exchange of knowledge, views, and innovative ideas among students, faculty, staff, and visiting scholars from all over the world, with diversified backgrounds and outstanding teaching and research achievements.

Core values

• Scientific: ASE is a place for critical thought, transcending political, national and religious prejudices.
• Responsible: ASE is committed to upholding high standards of conduct. All individuals in the ASE community must be aware of their responsibilities to society at large. ASE trains individuals to take ethical and responsible decisions.
• Gender equity: The African School of Economics is committed to promoting women's participation in graduate education in Africa. More specifically, ASE aims at ensuring that women are given an opportunity to earn advanced degrees. ASE will build on the experience of the Institute of Empirical Research in Political Economy (IERPE), which has implemented processes whereby women are aggressively recruited for placement at the Institute's Masters program. Select scholarships are reserved for women interested in applying to the program.

History

ASE is a continuation of the success of the Institute of Empirical Research in Political Economy (IERPE) founded by Leonard Wantchekon in 2004 in Cotonou, Benin. A nonprofit training and research initiative in Political Economy and Applied Statistics, IERPE provides expertise in public policy and trains executives for the public and private sector in West Africa. The opening ceremony took place on August 29, 2014.^[3]

ASE and IERPE staff group picture (2014)

Since its inception, the Institute expanded its activities to include a successful Masters of Public Economics and Applied Statistics (MEPSA). The MEPSA has had 74 African graduates, all whom are in high demand in the West African region: more than 75% of the graduates of the classes of 2006-2009 are employed in research centers throughout West Africa, in the World Bank and in different governments.^[4] The MEPSA program is accredited by the Ministry of Education in Benin.^[5]

ASE aims to meet the urgent need for an academic institution capable of generating the necessary human capital in Africa.^[6] Although the region has seen significant improvements in primary and secondary education in the past few decades there is still a pressing need for advanced education centers. Through its PhD programs, ASE hopes to provide the missing African voice in many Africa-related academic debates. Furthermore, through the Master in Business Administration (MBA), Master in Public Administration (MPA), Executive MBA and MPA (EMBA and EMPA), Master in Mathematics, Economics and Statistics (MMES), and Master in Development Studies (MDS) programs, ASE aims to provide the technical capacity that will enable more Africans to be hired into top management positions in development agencies and multinational corporations operating on the continent.^[7] This should foster sustainable hiring practices that will retain talent and experience in Africa.

ASE's academic partnerships

1. - American University in Cairo, Egypt
2. - Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, Spain
3. - BEM Dakar – Bordeaux Management School, Senegal
4. - Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE), (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas), Mexico
5. - HEC Montréal, Canada
6. - Laval University, Canada
7. - New Economic School, Russia
8. - Princeton University, USA
9. - Toulouse School of Economics, France
10. - University of Namur - FUNDP
11. - University of Ottawa, Canada

Media coverage

• Dr. Leonard Wanchekon interviewed by magazine Jeune Afrique, July 2014.^[8]
• Dr. Leonard Wantchekon presents ASE in an interview at BBC Radio, December 2013.^[9]
• ASE co-hosted a special event "Who Will Lead the African Development Bank?" with The Institute of Economic Affairs, Ghana in Accra and the Center for Global Development in Washington DC. The event, featuring seven of eight candidates, focused on key issues regarding the future of the institution.^[10]

References

1. Boulin, Jean-Eric. "Léonard Wantchékon : « En Afrique, la Chine a pris les devants sur les États-Unis »". Jeune Afrique. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
2. Dossa, Jean-Claude. "Enseignement superieur en Afrique: La 1ère pierre de l’African School of Economics posée au Bénin". L'Événement Précis.
3. ASE Grand Opening featured at magazine Educ Action africanschoolofeconomics.com. August 2014. Ouverture officielle de l’African School of Economics: Un centre de recherche innovant au service du développement économique de l’Afrique Cotonou.com, September 2014.
4. Lander, Jessica. "Politics: Training Africa’s Leaders". Princeton Alumni Weekly. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
5. "IERPE: Promoting High School Math Education in Benin" (PDF). Think Tank Initiative.
6. • Economics has an Africa problem? Chris Blattman's Blog, Associate Professor of Political Science & International and Public Affairs at Columbia University March 2015.
7. Dossa, Jean-Claude. "Enseignement superieur en Afrique: La 1ère pierre de l’African School of Economics posée au Bénin". L'Événement Précis.
8. Boulin, Jean-Claude. "Léonard Wantchékon : « En Afrique, la Chine a pris les devants sur les États-Unis »". Jeune Afrique.
9. "Dr. Léonard Wantchékon Presenting the African School of Economics on BBC News". BBC News.
10. "Who Will Lead the African Development Bank?". Center for Global Development.

• L’African School of Economics: un projet d’excellence L'Afrique des idees
• Support for competitive politics and government performance: public perceptions of democracy in Senegal Report by ASE's professors Leonard Wantchekon and Paul-Aarons Ngomo [et al.] January 2007
• Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty: One Infrastructure Investment at a Time The World Bank. Africa Can End Poverty: A Blog about the Economic Challenges and Opportunities Facing Africa

External links

• African School of Economics
• Institute for Empirical Research in Political Economy