The Mission Shapes the Journey
Assistant Professor of International Studies Fatou Thioune on the steps of Denny Hall, which houses her office. Photo by Dan Loh.
Office Hours: Assistant Professor of International Studies Fatou Thioune
by Tony Moore
Assistant Professor of International Studies Fatou Thioune earned her Ph.D. at the University of Southern California. Focusing on macroeconomics, international and development economics, she teaches courses such as Global Economy, Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Policies. In 2024 she coauthored “COVID-19 and Gender Inequality: Impact in Southern Africa,” a chapter in the International Monetary Fund book Gender Equality and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dickinson is known for its global study-abroad programs. What makes it a great place for students who also want to dig deep intellectually into the complexities of the international landscape through your department?
Our department is probably the most diverse academic environment—in terms of areas and regions of interest studied—that I have ever worked/studied in, and I’ve studied and worked in five different countries. We just had our senior oral exams, during which seniors are tested on their knowledge of the international landscape. Topics range from NATO and Japan-U.S. relations to the Soviet Union and the Korean War. They articulated very clearly the political and economic histories of different regions of the world with all their complexities. Some even conducted part of their oral exams in foreign languages such as Russian and Spanish.
These oral exams are the culmination of intense years of training in these topics. The department offers a solid curriculum that introduces the students to a variety of topics while encouraging them to pursue more specialized interests through their chosen concentration. This interdisciplinary approach allows students to take courses across various departments, including economics, history, political science, East Asian studies and Middle East studies. As a result, they can integrate concepts and theories—for example, applying insights from political science to the institutional systems in Iran, informed by a deep understanding of Middle Eastern history.
After four years, our students graduate with both a broad understanding of the complexities shaping global politics and a deep, focused knowledge of a specific area of interest.
Your research has spanned such bodies as the World Bank, IMF and the Federal Reserve. What's propelled your interest in the global economy and international dynamics across these institutions and now at Dickinson?
Growing up in Senegal, I had many ideas of what I wanted to be: a medical doctor, civil engineer, pilot, etc. Albeit very different career paths, all the options I was entertaining had one thing in common: they all involved the use of science and/or data to improve human life. I wanted a career that merges my interest in mathematics and my passion for making a meaningful impact.
When I took economics in high school for the first time, I instantly knew I wanted to pursue a career in the field, as it uses mathematics to study human behavior. The summer before my senior year of high school, I did a field-research internship on the financial inclusion of Senegal. For the first time in my life, I could apply the concepts I was learning in class to global contexts. From then on, I saw economics as a practical tool for engaging in the global discourse on economic growth and development.
Studying economics in college was an obvious decision for me. During that time, I interned at the Ministry of Economy and Finance in Senegal, where I conducted research on productivity and growth. This internship inspired me to pursue a career in economic research. Since then, I have been on the mission to contribute to evidence-based policymaking—one that has taken me to many different places and continues to shape my journey.
In your courses, you explore the dynamics between political and economic institutions. How do you encourage students to critically analyze these interactions in real-world contexts, and why is it critical to do so?
Although I am not a politician, I have come to appreciate the central role politics plays in shaping our well-being. There are multiple ways to influence human life and inform policy, but ultimately a country’s growth trajectory and outcomes are determined not only by its economic institutions but also by its political ones. The industrialization and growth of the United Kingdom were facilitated by its preexisting favorable political and economic institutions, such as the protection of property rights. Conversely, the struggles of certain nations can be explained by their weak institutional systems characterized by high levels of corruption, an oppressive regime and/or extractive policies.
My course Why Nations Fail: Political Economy of Development was designed to help students understand the vital role political institutions play in shaping the well-being of populations. We discuss various case studies from countries across the different continents and with different growth trajectories to better understand the ways in which politics shape development outcome.
In my class, I had students from different departments, such as political science, economics, international management & business and, of course, international studies. I think regardless of the field or sector you work in, the issues we discussed in this course affect everyone. For example, business students must grasp how political and economic institutions affect market environments and decision-making. Therefore, it is critical for every student to understand and analyze how institutions shape the world economy.
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Published June 12, 2025