Congratulations are in order for Anna-Lena Baumeister, a former Public Administration GMD student that has been awarded the DPAS Award. DPAS, the Public Administration/Sociology Secretariat, grants an award to the three best master theses written in the master programs of Public Administration, Sociology, and International Public Management and Public Policy (IMP).
When asked how she felt about receiving the award, Anna-Lena said the following:
I was very surprised and happy to hear that I was nominated for the DPAS award and even happier and more surprised when I heard I actually won. I think the process of thesis writing always comes with a lot of uncertainty – if whether or not what you are writing makes any sense at all. What the jury liked about my thesis is that it had an innovative theoretical approach and that for me is a reinforcement to power through insecurities and to be bold throughout the process.
My thesis looks into how a European network of NGOs operates and learns from each other to increase the impact of their counter-trafficking advocacy. To be able to grasp the complexity, I drafted a theoretical framework that merges Public Administration theories with concepts from International Relations. One big thing that I am taking away from this and can recommend to others is choosing a topic that you are keen about and (I know this might sound controversial) have fun with. I got to speak to a dozen high-level civil society experts from all across Europe as well as members of the Council of Europe expert group GRETA.
I am very thankful to all of them for their participation! I also feel very fortunate to have had Asya as my supervisor because my thesis of course would not be the same without her constructive feedback and support!
A big congratulations to you Anna-Lena!