Watson School political scientist Prena Singh was recently awarded the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award for her ongoing research into vaccine hesitancy in India and China.
Internationally focused from a young age and growing up outside Washington, D.C., Marcus Burke experienced career growth after earning his Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree from Brown in 2017 as a mid-career professional.
John Friedman told the Brown Daily Herald that the new Watson School of International and Public Affairs aims to elevate Brown’s global policy presence by fostering interdisciplinary study, expanding faculty, and relaunching its MPA program.
As the Watson School launched early this summer, its Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program welcomed a new class of students. This year's cohort brings with them a wide array of experiences and perspectives that have shaped their goals as they enter the program.
Costs of War’s latest report, “The Employment Impacts of Cuts to Federal Spending: Not All Cuts Are Created Equal,” finds federal dollars create more jobs when invested in education or healthcare than in the military.
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.
Robert Blair has been named the 2025 recipient of the Theda Skocpol Emerging Scholar Award, which recognizes outstanding early-career contributions to the field of comparative politics.
Derrick Zantt earned his master's degree in public affairs from Brown in 2016. A fourth-generation service member, Zantt currently works as an analyst for the Department of Defense, where he puts his belief in open data and the knowledge he acquired at the Watson Institute to influence policy.
A new Costs of War report titled “Profits of War: Top Beneficiaries of Pentagon Spending, 2020–2024” finds that military contractors received over half of Pentagon spending from 2020 to 2024.
Sonia Cuesta, who earned her Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree from Brown in 2017, was happy to give back to the program that helped her establish a career in human rights and international relations. During the spring 2025 semester, Cuesta supervised a new generation of MPA students' Policy in Action project from her position at the United Nations.
Ieva Jusionyte’s 2024 book, "Exit Wounds: How America’s Guns Fuel Violence Across the Border," has won multiple awards, including the Juan E. Méndez Book Award and two awards from the Association of American Publishers.
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.
John Friedman recently testified before the UK House of Lords’ Social Mobility Policy Committee, which is exploring ways to improve social mobility through education and employment integration.
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.
Peter Andreas recently published "The Illicit Global Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know," a new book that explores the unauthorized cross-border flows of goods, people and money shaping global trade and politics.
Jennifer Hadden recently published a book titled "Crowded Out: The Competitive Landscape of Contemporary International NGOs," examining how global nonprofits are being squeezed by competition, specialization, and dispersion—even as global needs grow.
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.
Senior International and Public Affairs and environmental science concentrator Charlie Adams, who graduates this month, grew up around policy and politics. Naturally, he found himself at home in the Watson Institute's International and Public Affairs (IAPA) concentration.