Rhys Maher

I've really enjoyed living and studying in London over the last year. AS the number of students on the course was fairly small (32 students), I got to know everyone over the year and made lifelong friends from all over the world. I kept in touch with my Welsh roots by attending the Central London Welsh Church on Eastcastle Street almost every week.

Over the year of study, I expanded on my undergraduate studies by studying quantitative analysis methods, game theory, and attending behavioural economics and economic history modules. My dissertation was written the Senedd Cymru Election in 2021, with the research aiming to analyse the effect enfranchising 16- and 17-year-olds and foreign citizens had on the outcomes of this specific election in Wales. d) had an impact on the final result of the election. The results provide some preliminary evidence that the enfranchisement led to an increase in the Labour party’s vote share and an increase in overall turnout. When the proportion of new voters in a constituency increases by one percentage point, the vote share for the Labour party increases by 0.7 percent and turnout increases by 0.3 percent.

Since finishing my thesis I have been employed as a research consultant by Wavehill, a company that carries out policy evaluations for governments, with the majority of the work being carried out in Wales, either for local governments or the Welsh Government. I have now moved back to Newport to work in the Wavehill office in Bristol.

I would like to thank the Foundation, as I would not have been able to afford the course without your help.