"The most useful aspects of the workshop included revisiting fundamental macroeconomic theories, which refreshed my knowledge after several years of undergraduate study in economics and provide a good opportunity to learn the basic academic skills for my upcoming MBA programme. Also the case study on the IMF, which provided practical insights into its role and processes was highly useful. Additionally, the group presentation was valuable for learning from peers with gaining a greater expertise in macroeconomics, enhancing both my understanding and teamwork skills." -- Natsuko Kikkawa from Japan, University of Cambridge (21st course)
"Through the lectures, I was able to learn what kind of macroeconomic analysis is actually conducted in the field of policy making and surveying the economic situation of each country. In the group work, I was able to realize the difficulty of macroeconomic analysis, as there are multiple factors and issues that affect the economic situation, and we had to select what to prioritize in formulating policies." -- Sayaka Numano from Japan, Ochanomizu University (20th course)
"The group work is quite interesting and this kind of formal is relatively close to the work with other researchers in the real world. Analysis of one country's economy by the framework of dividing it into four sectors is quite useful. I will use this kind of method when I want to have a quick look of the current situation of an economy." -- Cunhao Li from China, Waseda University (19th course)
"The workshop provided us with a unique opportunity to delve into economic surveillance of countries, gaining valuable insights into how the IMF analyzes its member countries through financial programming and policy assessment and subsequently formulates policy recommendations. The knowledge and experiences gained during these three days will undoubtedly contribute to my growth as a Ph.D. candidate in Economics and also my future career." -- Mutita Ariyavutikul (Benz) from Thailand, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (18th course)
"I find the program offers us excellent networking and the opportunity to have engaging discussions on relevant topics with people from diverse backgrounds. We were given adequate time for questions and answers to deepen our understanding of the topics. I feel that it was very interesting and informative to hear the opinions of the distinguished Professor Ishii and the various opinions of other participants." -- Cleo Eri Kyu from Japan, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (17th course)
"Through the workshop, I can try the IMF's analytic framework practically. With team members from diverse backgrounds, the discussion for the presentation was so exciting that I could expand my knowledge. As I am now researching economics at a private thinktank, I will apply the framework I learned to analyze the fiscal and financial imbalance in Japan." -- Kohei Kikuchi from Japan, King's College London (16th course)
"I found the case study the most useful. Before, I would have found it difficult to construct an economic snapshot of a country based on its macroeconomic data, but now I feel confident about drawing inferences from the data and identifying potential vulnerabilities of economies. And what made the whole experience memorable was being able to apply this learning to a group project with other talented students." -- Miyu Haraguchi from Japan, University of Oxford (15th course)
"I could not only learn about the framework the IMF uses for its analysis but also deeply understand it since I had opportunities, such as discussion and presentation, to share what I learned. Totally, I feel like I could manage to know what it is like to work in the IMF and what they work for." -- Daiki Yamashita from Japan, Kyoto University (14th course)
“As for me, it was just the revision of four sectors and I updated my knowledge on macroeconomics. However, it was great to learn new things from international lecturers and specialists. The most interesting part was economic surveillance, how economic organizations like the IMF deal with the economies. I really like the methods which the IMF uses for the evaluation of the economy.” -- Elbek Abdullaev from Uzbekistan, Saitama University (13th course)
“This program helped me to connect all the sectors of the economy and to see a bigger picture of the country, through looking at the economic data. Understanding about Balance of Payment was the most interesting and helpful part for me, since I have quite big interest in foreign exchange reserves.” -- Bolortuya Munkhbat from Mongolia, Saitama University (12th course)
“I was able to gain the experience of incorporating what I learned in the lecture and the knowledge of economics that I had accumulated so far into actual analysis, which greatly deepens my understanding. In addition, I learned the difficulty and the fun of analyzing a country’s economy through a group discussion in cooperation with team members.” -- Inbong Kim from Korea, The University of Hong Kong (11th course)
"Jerry Schiff was a fantastic lecturer. He explained the framework very clearly and I learned so many important insights from him. Breaking down a country's data into the four sectors really make it much easier to understand the overall picture. After this program, I feel like I now understand the problems I used to face back when I was working in the Department of Finance in the Philippines in much clearer ways." -- Leandro Inumerable from the Philippines, Hitotsubashi University (10th course)
"In addition to being able to observe and gain a deeper understanding of practical application of macroeconomics that I have been interested in, I began to aspire to bring meaningful impact to the global economy at an institution like the IMF. I would like to continue to gain opportunities to practice economic analysis." -- Akane Gonda from Japan, Keio University (9th course)
"I really enjoyed the lectures on financial programming design, as this is a great insight into IMF's way of looking at the economy." -- Bastien Guilleminot-Simon from France, The University of Tokyo (8th course)
"I learned a lot about the assessment process based on macroeconomic indicators." -- Quang Thanh Tran from Vietnam, Tohoku University (8th course)
"The assignment itself was very hands-on and reflects real life situations where many times you are required to accomplish tasks in a limited amount of time with a very limited amount of data." -- Jason Agius from Malta, Ritsumeikan University (7th course)
"Studying the country examples was also very helpful in understanding how the IMF conducts surveillance in member states." -- Secil Er from Turkey, Osaka University (7th course)
