News From Watson
News from Watson features research, commentary and analysis from our faculty, staff and students. Learn more about how Watson scholars confront critical global challenges through their research, teaching and thought leadership.
News From Watson
News from Watson features research, commentary and analysis from our faculty, staff and students. Learn more about how Watson scholars confront critical global challenges through their research, teaching and thought leadership.
Recent News
New directors have been appointed at three centers within The Thomas J. Watson Jr. School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University.
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News from Watson
Fall 2025 practitioner-led study groups
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. Enrollment in each group is limited to 25 students.
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Created in the waning years of the Cold War, the new Watson School of International and Public Affairs continues its history as a hub for scholarship on pressing economic, political, social and policy challenges.
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Brown's first new school in over a decade, the Thomas J. Watson Jr. School of International and Public Affairs, launched on July 1. Plans for the new school include broadening the scope of research, expanding the faculty, and breaking down traditional barriers between disciplines to address the world's most pressing economic, political, social and policy challenges.
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From May 12-14, the Watson Institute's Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program held its annual Policy in Action (PIA) Symposium, in which students presented the results of work they did for government, nonprofit and private sector organizations over the spring semester.
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News from Watson
Watson Policy Labs experience busy, productive first year
The Watson Institute’s Policy Labs — created with the goal of turbo-charging research on critical policy issues by bringing together students and researchers — were highly productive during their first year of operation. The Civil Conflict and Democratic Erosion Policy Lab, the Justice Policy Lab, and the Realizing Rights Lab created cutting-edge social science research while enhancing student research skills.
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The Watson Institute's Africa Initiative is the only U.S. partner in the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA), an organization dedicated to building a vibrant multidisciplinary African academy that produces world-class research.
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A distinguished economist and public affairs scholar, Friedman will lead a new school dedicated to advancing research and teaching on the world’s most pressing economic, political, social and policy challenges.
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This year’s Noah Krieger ’93 Memorial Lecture featured Justice Stephen Breyer, who discussed his time on the nation’s highest court and his pragmatic approach to the law.
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As global financial systems react to economic shifts, a new book from the director of the Rhodes Center for International Economics and Finance at Brown University explores the causes and impacts of inflation.
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Renowned human rights attorney and Watson Senior Fellow Malika Saada Saar has organized a series of events for the spring 2025 semester called Fireside Chats on Building AI for Humanity, featuring conversations with tech industry leaders about AI and human rights.
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On Thursday, February 27, seven Master of Public Affairs (MPA) Director's Fellows presented the results of a semester of research working with Watson faculty and other international and public affairs professionals.
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