An image of my face.

Michelle González Amador

PhD Candidate
School of Business and Economics
UNU-MERIT/Maastricht University

About me

I’m a PhD Candidate at the United Nations University, Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) and Maastricht University, School of Business and Economics (SBE). My thesis research focuses on complex socioeconomic systems, with a focus on human capital investment (read education) of young people. I use diverse econometric, algorithmic and experimental methods to analyse how young people interact with themselves, systems and technology, and the economic implications of such actions. I am especially interested in the confluence of students’ peer networks, technological innovations and non-cognitive skills, and the study of these in resource-scarce settings, i.e. Low and Middle-Income Countries. Some of the applied work that I do happens in Mexico, my home country.

I am involved in the Mechanism Design for Social Good community. I formerly co-organised the Latin America and Caribbean working group, and I am currently active in the Development working group. Whilst the LAC working group has run its course, one of our core activities is set to become a yearly event: mentoring indigenous women from Latin America who wish to pursue scientific research with community impact. The first iteration of this event happened during the “Summer of Science” in the summer of 2022, in cooperation with COPOCYT in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The “Summer of science” culminated in the Mexican indigenous women presenting their work in Washington D.D. in October 2022, at the EAAMO’22 Conference. 📣 If you would like to read more about the mentees’ research, you can visit the EAAMO’22 site. 📣

Prior to my doctoral studies, I completed a BA in International Relations (2008-2013) at Mexico’s Tec de Monterrey, Campus Guadalajara, with a specialisation in Political Science from Sciences Po Rennes, in France. I also hold a Master of Public Policy, with a Policy Analysis and Economic Development concentration from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin (2013-2015). I have also done consulting work for the World Bank Group (2016-2018) and the International Labour Organisation (2019).

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I enjoy discussing and learning about Causal Inference Econometrics, Social Network Analysis, and Social and Economic Development (Education, Health, Labour).