News Archive

People were less politically polarized after taking part in workshops modeled on the principles of couples therapy, showed a study conducted by a political scientist at Brown, the nonprofit Braver Angels and other researchers.

Award recognizes Professor Mark Blyth for being a mentor par excellence.

The Watson Institute’s one-year master of public affairs program saw a 58% increase in new students in 2021 due in large part to policy issues laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Associate Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs Susan Moffitt becomes director of Watson’s Master of Public Affairs on January 1, 2022, she will be at the helm of the largest and most diverse class in the program’s six-year history.

Five of the up-and-coming scholars who constituted the 2020-2021 cohort of postdoctoral fellows are off to new academic positions in the United States, Europe, and Israel. While they were here, they took full advantage of the opportunity to research, write, and teach that the fellowship affords.

The Brown University Climate Solutions Lab has just released a report assessing the Biden administration’s international climate diplomacy so far. Written by the CSL’s director, Jeff Colgan and co-authors Thomas N. Hale and Scott M. Moore, “Biden @ 100 DAYS: A Climate Foreign-Policy Scorecard” examines the current administration's actions and commitment to reorienting U.S. foreign policy to meet the climate challenge.

Brown University Juniors weigh in on Watson's new International and Public Affairs (IAPA) concentration.

Scientists have developed vaccines for Covid-19 in record time. Now how do we convince enough people to take them? To get a better understanding of the roots and causes of "vaccine hesitancy," Sarah Baldwin spoke with political scientist and Watson Institute Associate Professor Prerna Singh.

Chiara Castrovillari ’20 MPA discusses her experience in the Brown MPA program and how it prepared her for her current role as a Research Assistant in the Strategy, Policy and Review Department for the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C.

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs' Climate Solutions Lab is compiling a syllabus bank of courses that address climate change.

A newly created research position is designed to shed light on some of the most deeply troubling elements of human history while exploring new ways of envisioning the future.

These not-for-credit study groups provide an opportunity for students to delve deeply into topics and apply theory and research to real-world challenges. Study groups will take place over Zoom and are limited to 25 students.

Experts from the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University weigh in on the causes and consequences of the January 6th insurrection.

Indisputably, it was a year unlike any other. Here’s your chance to take another look at some of our most notable stories of 2020.

Curricular changes will make the MPA program even more enriching and promote deeper integration with the Watson Institute's core mission.

Quiet Period 2021 Events

A comprehensive report, "Presidential Climate Action on Day One: A Foreign Policy Guide for the Next U.S. President," issues a sweeping set of recommended actions, both domestic and international, to address climate change, this century’s defining global challenge.

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs welcomes its latest cohort of postdoctoral fellows.

The Climate Solutions Initiative will focus on overcoming barriers to confronting climate change through scholarship, learning and research-informed infrastructure changes on campus, in Providence and beyond.

These not-for-credit, five-week study groups provide an opportunity for students to delve deeply into topics and apply theory and research to real-world challenges.

Follow #WatsonElection2020 for insights and commentary from Watson faculty on the upcoming election. 

Sergei Khrushchev, a retired senior fellow at the Watson Institute, died June 18, at his Cranston home, at age 84.

Spearheaded by Kennedy’s family, friends, and classmates, a new initiative aims to bring film and filmmakers to the University with the goal of shedding light on some of the most urgent, challenging, and complex issues facing society through the prism of the documentary.

As of July 1, 2020, several changes in leadership have taken place at the Watson Institute. 

Chosen from more than 400 applicants, this cohort of six postdoctoral fellows represents the newest group of young scholars to complete their fellowships at the Watson Institute. Together, they bring “sophisticated social science perspectives to some of the toughest worldwide problems of the early 21st century,” said J. Nicholas Ziegler, director of the postdoctoral program. 

A message from Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs director Ed Steinfeld.

Jeff Colgan, a political scientist at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, weighs in on the current coronavirus-related tumble in oil prices, its impact on geopolitical power and climate change and the U.S. government’s role in the now struggling industry.

Five years ago, the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs launched a new, one-year Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree to respond to the growing demand for an accelerated graduate degree that prepares students for public service careers in government, consulting firms, and the nonprofit sector. With the 2021 U.S. News Graduate School rankings Watson's MPA program has continued its steady climb.