Clémence Vergne holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Auvergne (CERDI). In her thesis, she took a multidisciplinary approach combining economics and political science, with the aim of giving a more thorough understanding of issues related to the political economy of development. Her research focused on political and economic cycles, media influence on electoral turnout and the impact that development assistance has on the likelihood of governments being reelected in developing countries.
Prior to arriving at AFD, she worked at the World Bank for three years. Following a placement in the Research Department, she was an economist for the World Bank’s MENA (Middle East and North Africa) regions. She has participated in projects and analysis on public finances, the political economy of reforms and governance. She joined the Macroeconomic Analysis and Country Risk Division at Agence Française de Développement in July 2012 to contribute to the analysis of the economic and financial vulnerabilities of the countries where AFD operates and develop an analytical framework to assess socio-political risk.