Prizes and distinctions : Arthur Heim (alumni) awarded the 2025 Best dissertation award from the Cour des comptes
Published on
On May 27, 2025, the Cour des comptes awarded its 2025 Best dissertation award. This annual award recognises doctoral dissertations that contribute to the renewal of public management, public finance, and the evaluation of public policies. Three researchers were honoured this year for the scientific excellence of their work.
Arthur Heim, a graduate of the Public Policy and Development Master’s program (2013) and the PhD program (2024) at PSE. He received the first prize ex aequo for his dissertation entitled “Social investment and the changing face of poverty: essay on the design and evaluation of family and social policies in France.” Currently affiliated with the Statistics, Research and Studies Directorate (DSER) of the French Family Benefits Fund (Cnaf), Heim’s work analyses social investment policies through two case studies: one develops optimal matching algorithms to improve access to childcare, while the other evaluates an intensive support programme for single-parent families. His dissertation stands out for its methodological robustness, clear presentation, and practical relevance for policy design and evaluation.
Nathan Rivet (ENS – PSL), was awarded the first prize ex aequo alongside Arthur Heim for his dissertation in sociology.
An other dissertation was also awarded.
The Special Prize went to Selma Malmberg, a graduate of the Analysis and Policy in Economics Master’s program (2020) at PSE and currently economist at the CEPREMAP and researcher at the i-MIP, for her dissertation in economics entitled “Great recessions, economic inequalities and the effectiveness of macroeconomic policies.” Using heterogeneous agent models, she investigates the redistributive effects of crisis-response policies such as energy price shields and fiscal consolidation measures.