"Over the four days of the conference in Georgetown University and Washington, D.C., it was a privilege to have the opportunity to meet and discuss fascinating research with other Economics students from universities across the world, including Yale, Stanford, Chicago and LSE. I presented my research paper on the impact of conflict diamonds in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This was both a daunting, but also, a highly rewarding opportunity since the discussion allowed me to consider further extensions and improvements to my paper. I was also able to consider further areas of research regarding the ‘Resource Curse’ whilst discussing a fellow participant's paper on the impact of coal mining on human capital in Indonesia. Alongside this, we were able to discuss fellow participants' papers on different research topics, such as Medicaid, Corruption in Brazil, Trafficking and Inheritance Laws in India. The wide variety of empirical, and theoretical, research topics was both fascinating and impressive.

During the conference, the committee also planned various social events to provide the opportunity to engage with other participants as well as the keynote speakers Kenneth Rogoff and Joshua Angrist. On the Friday night, over a Keynote dinner with Prof Kenneth Rogoff, we also had the opportunity to engage with alumni participants. Prof Kenneth Rogoff (author of Foundations of International Macroeconomics and The Curse of Cash) presented his extremely pertinent analysis of the potential implications for Macroeconomic Policy in the US and Europe as a result of the Ukraine war. On the penultimate day, following the final presentations, Prof Joshua Angrist compellingly presented his analysis of causal effects (particularly the LATE theorem). The keynote reception with Prof Angrist seemed unbelievable given the informal Economics discussions and the conversations regarding his recent Nobel Prize-winning research.

The Carroll Round Conference was an unforgettable experience. I felt extremely privileged to have been selected to represent Warwick’s Department of Economics at the conference and would highly recommend Economics students to apply in later years. I am very grateful for the Department of Economics for the support provided to me for the conference. I would like to thank my RAE supervisor, Dr Stefania Paredes Fuentes, for encouraging my application and for providing me with invaluable support and advice for my research."

"This year I have been very lucky to participate in the 21st Carroll Round Conference at Georgetown University. It was a unique experience I’ll remember as a highlight of my undergraduate degree.

My research project was a game-theoretic model of how consumer demand can drive competing news firms to produce biased news. The conference format of a presentation, followed by questions and discussion, really challenged me to think more deeply about my own project. It was very satisfying to be asked questions about the research afterwards and to discuss with people their own perspectives on media bias. Comments and suggestions from other participants have given me some new ideas of how to potentially extend the research in the future.

The main highlight of the trip for me was meeting so many students my own age who were passionate about research and economics. It was really a fun and vibrant environment to be in, with people presenting their own research in such a wide variety of fields. The experience has only strengthened my desire to pursue research and I recommend applying to anyone who has enjoyed their project.

I would like to thank the department for being so encouraging, and my supervisor Professor Jacob Glazer for supporting me throughout the research process."

“Flying to Washington DC was a surprise during my Easter break, but truly a trip that I will not forget! Over the course of four days, I met exceptional and passionate Economics students from different universities across the world including Stanford, Yale, LSE, and Vanderbilt. I presented my research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on job quality in the UK, which was a nerve-wracking but also rewarding experience as I received feedback and further ideas to extend my paper. I also had the chance to engage in interesting and stimulating discourse with fellow participants by discussing their papers on topics such as Medicaid, Coal Mining, Women in Tech and Trafficking.

 

I felt extremely lucky to attend the conference in-person, particularly in light of COVID-19 concerns, but it made a huge difference in building new friendships with fellow participants. There was an array of social events, which enabled me to get to know others on a more personal level. We also had the honour of being in the presence of Kenneth Rogoff and Joshua Angrist in the evenings. Prof Rogoff discussed the implications of Ukraine for Macroeconomic Policy in the US and Europe – a topic that is particularly relevant right now given the current political environment. The following day we also had the chance to meet Prof Angrist, one of the recipients of the Nobel Prize in 2021 for his incredible work into the analysis of causal relationships (also the co-author of our metrics book, ‘Mastering Metrics’). It felt surreal to be mingling and discussing Economics with a Nobel laureate.

 

The Carroll Round Conference was incredibly organised from beginning to end, and I am grateful to have been a participant. It is one of my top highlights so far in my undergraduate journey. Thank you to the Department of Economics, particularly my RAE supervisor Professor Thijs Van Rens for his continuous support.”

"Having the privilege to be invited to present my dissertation paper at the 21st Carroll Round Conference is a dream come true and a memorable experience during my time as an undergraduate student. Despite it being virtual for me, I learnt tremendously from the presentations of other like-minded participants from global top universities like Stanford, Yale and LSE which covered diverse topics such as Labour, Environmental and Development Economics. It was a new experience as each participant had been assigned to discuss another presenter's paper and I was able to deepen my knowledge in the field of Industrial Organisation while expanding my critical thinking during the event.

 

It was especially rewarding to gain feedback from other participants on my paper alongside suggestions for extensive research. I also made wonderful friendships with the participants in my session prior to the event who continue to inspire me with their passion towards their research areas. An unforgettable highlight from the event is the keynote speaker session by Nobel laureate Joshua Angrist who enlightened us on his forte of causal effects. Although I was unable to meet him in-person, but I was fortunate to receive a signed copy of his book 'Mastering Metrics' as a gift!

I am honoured to have been selected to represent Warwick’s Department of Economics at such a prestigious event to present a topic close to my heart. I would highly recommend my fellow Economics juniors to apply for Carroll Round in the future - you will not regret it! Heartfelt gratitude to the department for the support prior to the event and specifically my supervisor, Dr Lory Barile for encouraging me to apply."