As my Laidlaw Research Summer draws to a close, I’m extremely grateful for my experiences in the last six weeks. I was able to successfully collect data, clean it, analyze it, find trends, and make a meaningful stride in my research journey. It’s been a great opportunity to explore and learn. Both from my professor and from the economics community at large but also from my fellow Laidlaw Scholars and their determination to pursue answers to questions.
Many things went as expected this summer. I was able to follow the roadmap I planned with my faculty mentor and stick to our timeline, which made my project relatively smooth. However, I was surprised by the flexibility in research. While analyzing the regression tables I generated using Stata, I found two more directions to take my research to. Along with trying to understand monetary policy transmission to housing credit in India, I’m also looking at heterogeneity in less vs more financially developed states by looking at the state credit-to-GDP ratio. I also found that monetary policy transmission strengthened significantly after RBI adopted inflation targeting in 2016, which adds an institutional dimension I hadn't originally planned to explore. These are aspects I didn’t consider or plan out in my roadmap but which add relevance to my research.
I would try to incorporate another country, if given the opportunity to do something differently. It would be interesting to do a comparison with the US or Japan.
My relationship with my mentor has improved over the last month and it was a lovely experience to meet with her every week and discuss my progress. I’ve learned to always go to meetings prepared, to listen more than I speak, and to play with her dog whenever she’s there! Getting your work reviewed by other people and being open to feedback is a vital part of research. I’m thankful for her guidance!
I’m in the process of drafting my research paper and I’m confident I’ll have it done by September 1. I look forward to putting my thoughts and learnings to words so I can end the program with research worth sharing.