Yentl Stutterheim

Within the first month of my master’s degree in economics at the University of Amsterdam, I started applying for a master’s degree at the European Institute at LSE. I wanted to strengthen my understanding of economics to eventually be able to study the degree that fitted my interests best: political economy of Europe. During my studies, I quickly realised how important the EU is for a small open economy like the Netherlands. However, the national public debate often does not go further than the fact the Netherlands is a net contributor and that southern European member states should focus on more fiscal consolidation before starting a new European project. This motivated me to learn more about the complexity of economic policymaking in a European context.

With scholarships from two national organisations (VSB fonds & Cultuurfonds) I was able to attend LSE in September 2019. It was a dream come true to be able to study in such a diverse and inspiring group of European students and professors in the heart of London. I still think about the inspiring lectures that I followed on European welfare states, political economy of finance, monetary integration. Unfortunately, after six months my academic year got disrupted by the covid pandemic after six months. Through Zoom, I finished my last courses and thesis from my mom’s living room. Despite this unexpecting ending of my degree in London, I am still happy I was able to experience at least a few months at LSE.

My degree at the European Institute appeared to be a great preparation for working at one of the European institutions and the Dutch government. In October 2020, I started a Bluebook traineeship at DG ECFIFN at the European Commission. Afterwards, I moved back to the Netherlands to work as a policy advisor the Economic and Financial Policy directorate at the Ministry of Finance.

Since September 2021, I have been working on EU-related topics such as the EU fiscal rules and banking regulation, but also on national policies regarding the Dutch housing market. My degree at the EI has helped me to not solely focus on policy responses straight out of economic textbooks, but to also consider the political views behind certain policy measures. I believe that this is a necessary skill to eventually facilitate effective policymaking – which can be extremely difficult in a country with nineteen political parties in one parliament. I am extremely happy with this rewarding position at the Dutch government, in part thanks to my experiences at LSE. I hope I will be able to convince more and more people around me about the importance of the European project during my future career.