Rowan Fraser
2010 – Inaugural winner of the New Zealand France Friendship Fund Excellence Scholarship
In July, I very gratefully received the first installment of the New Zealand France Friendship Fund Excellence Scholarship which allowed me to book my fare to Paris and confirm my enrollment at the Institut des Etudes Politiques, or Sciences Po as it is commonly known. Over the past month since my arrival I have settled into the city and begun my studies in Urban and Territorial Strategy.
Sciences Po places itself squarely at the centre of the political and economic life of France and forms part of a constellation of such institutions across the European Union. Due to this centrality, the student at Sciences Po finds many stimulating opportunities to engage with contemporary issues and this, in my opinion, is one of its great advantages. Here, one has the impression of being at the heart of the developments and questions which are shaping, day by day, the progress and decisions of France and Europe.
My studies cover a wide range of domains from politics, governance theory and territorial associations, geography, economics and administrative law, sociology and cartography. In addition to Sciences Po, I am making the most of regular environmental economics and environmental politics seminars at institutions such as the Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Développement in partnership with CNRS. Similarly, I’m looking forward to attending the annual Franco-Chinese Conference in Urbanism and Planning in November at the Institut d’Urbanisme de Paris. And just this week, I’ve fitted in a number of sessions at the European Association for Environmental History’s AHPNE conference, focusing on developments in environmental policy and policy concerning urban environments.
As a foreigner half an eye is always looking at things under a comparative light. This perspective of comparison allows a general objectivity vis-à-vis our systems in the Pacific, which makes evident the areas where the Pacific differs from, and coincides with, the political, economic and social systems in place here. It also makes clear the possible adaptations and exchanges of method which each region might benefit from. I look forward to further investigating these themes over the next two years, and to sharpening my conceptual toolbox especially in regards urban and territorial strategy, land-use and environmental policy. Once again I emphasis my gratitude to the New Zealand France Friendship Fund for making this period of study possible.
In July, I very gratefully received the first installment of the New Zealand France Friendship Fund Excellence Scholarship which allowed me to book my fare to Paris and confirm my enrollment at the Institut des Etudes Politiques, or Sciences Po as it is commonly known. Over the past month since my arrival I have settled into the city and begun my studies in Urban and Territorial Strategy.
Sciences Po places itself squarely at the centre of the political and economic life of France and forms part of a constellation of such institutions across the European Union. Due to this centrality, the student at Sciences Po finds many stimulating opportunities to engage with contemporary issues and this, in my opinion, is one of its great advantages. Here, one has the impression of being at the heart of the developments and questions which are shaping, day by day, the progress and decisions of France and Europe.
My studies cover a wide range of domains from politics, governance theory and territorial associations, geography, economics and administrative law, sociology and cartography. In addition to Sciences Po, I am making the most of regular environmental economics and environmental politics seminars at institutions such as the Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Développement in partnership with CNRS. Similarly, I’m looking forward to attending the annual Franco-Chinese Conference in Urbanism and Planning in November at the Institut d’Urbanisme de Paris. And just this week, I’ve fitted in a number of sessions at the European Association for Environmental History’s AHPNE conference, focusing on developments in environmental policy and policy concerning urban environments.
As a foreigner half an eye is always looking at things under a comparative light. This perspective of comparison allows a general objectivity vis-à-vis our systems in the Pacific, which makes evident the areas where the Pacific differs from, and coincides with, the political, economic and social systems in place here. It also makes clear the possible adaptations and exchanges of method which each region might benefit from. I look forward to further investigating these themes over the next two years, and to sharpening my conceptual toolbox especially in regards urban and territorial strategy, land-use and environmental policy. Once again I emphasis my gratitude to the New Zealand France Friendship Fund for making this period of study possible.
