r/PublicPolicy

Hey Ya'll

I'm about one year away from coming back to DC from serving in the Peace Corps, and my goal is to land a job on Capitol Hill (entry level) or with an agency when I get back. I'm wondering if any of ya'll are acctively working in DC in Public policy?

The first piece of advice everyone has when I say I want to do this is to build up my network, so in the spirit of trying anything and everything, I figured, why not look here? I'm also, of course, looking on LinkedIn and everywhere else, but I figured this is one more way.

Also, of course, I'm not just trying to land a job but also soak up any advice, experience, or stories from anyone I can who has done any kind of work close to what I'm talking about. If you're in any kind of government or government adjacent work, and you have 10 mins to chat and connect over Zoom, comment or dm me, and let's talk!

I'd also love to talk to people in my position, interns, assistants, caseworkers, and we could swap stories and learn from each other.

I'm truly just trying to meet cool people doing cool things and maybe hear your own networking or job experiences while were at it. Heck, even if you aren't in government but are in DC and might like to get a coffee or a beer when I'm back, let me know!

Is Jindal’s Government and Public Policy school Worth it?

Hey does anyone know the scope of getting through and possibly getting a seat at IITM for public policy with a rank of 280 ??? in any of the list

I'm a grad student working on a research project about childcare policy and I need your help! It's a 2-3 minute anonymous survey and your opinions genuinely matter for the research.

If you've ever thought about the cost of childcare, who should pay for it, or what government's role should be - this one's for you. Would love as many responses as possible, and feel free to share with friends!

https://baruch.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9ojgPDSQI64qMpE

Thanks in advance 🌱

My background:

- Investment finance - passed CFA Levels 1 & 2, 1+ year exp at a foreign fund manager

- From a developing country in SEA that's going through significant economic transformation

Why I'm considering MPP instead of a Master's in Finance

I don't want to repeat what I already know - corporate finance, valuation, portfolio theory are already part of my day-to-day. What I feel I'm missing is the macro and policy layer: how regulations are made, how capital markets get developed at a national level, how governments make financial decisions. I think a finance + policy combination could be a rare and valuable profile in my home country, especially as it pushes toward emerging market status and undertakes major financial sector reforms.

My questions:

1. Does this career logic make sense, or am I being naively optimistic? Is a finance background actually valued in MPP programs and in policy-adjacent careers?

2. Which schools would you recommend? I'm open to UK and Europe

3. For those with a similar background - finance professional going into policy - what was the actual career outcome? Did the degree open the doors you expected?

Any honest perspective appreciated, including if you think this is a bad idea.

I graduated from Georgetown Mccourt’s MPP program yesterday and I feel extremely disappointed in myself knowing I have no job lined up yet. Is anyone in the same boat? Everyone in my class seems excited with their new jobs, while I sit here miserable and angry at times. Additionally, I don’t understand what the average job salary is supposed to be for a newly McCourt grad with limited job experience (internships and part time positions).

Hey guys, I recently started researching about MPP programs because they gathered my interest. However, upon researching I got to know that In India, the scope in MPP isn't that much. I've got an offer from IIT Madras to study M.A. in Public Policy as well as an interview scheduled with IIT Tirupati for MPP. Is there someone who did MPP or is a working professional who could guide me about the scope??

Will a bachelor's in public policy and management be relevant for the future? You know...considering the involvement of AI with most things....also I was thinking about doing CFA alongside this....I'm completely new to this and everything I know about public policy is through sources which I don't completely trust and well...I have only asked different AI (gemini, chatgpt and claude) about this combination (CFA and bachelor's in public policy and management) and every single one of them said it would be a good combination.

I will be grateful for your 2 cents on whether I should pursue the above 2 courses as I believe im more inclined towards economics and finance but I wish to know about public policy just enough to know why certain laws and rules are formed. Thank you!

hi! I'm currently a political science student with a minor in economics from India pursuing my bachelor's. i will soon be entering my final year and am hoping to get into a mpp or related program abroad, preferably uk or usa.

i have a decent gpa and have around 5 relevant research internships, however, I'm noticing that the average age of most cohorts is 25-27 with a 3-5 year work experience.

i am now wondering if I am jumping the gun and moving abroad, considering the current job market, recession and my family's financial conditions which will force me to take a loan to pursue my studies.

i did not plan to work immediately after my undergrad and wanted a master's program because i thought it would provide me with the necessary skills and exposure needed to break into the field.

i am not so sure now and might go for a fellowship or try to get a job so that I can gain some experience, however, it is very difficult for political science grads to get jobs/internships in india.

i am so confused right now and was hoping for some advice! pls let me know!

I am confused regarding which dse paper should I opt for. As ive asked some seniors regarding the two paper and ESS seems easy but I am confused regarding which will be better if I want to do a masters degree.

Hello all,

I plan to apply to grad school next cycle and pivot my career away from accounting where I have 3.5 years of experience. My policy experience is limited to a college internship at a law firm that specialized in public affairs.

I am trying to decide between the Policy school route and the MBA route. I would love to work for an NGO, social impact consultancy, startup, or even a think tank.

Ultimately I want to work in a mission driven workplace rather than a large investment bank, F500 company, or large consultancy but, I’m willing to be pragmatic as well.

I know I enjoy public policy and economics but will an MPP/MPA from a well regarded school allow me to completely change careers or will I be stuck in the financial operations bucket?

Any advice is appreciated.

I am interested in starting an MPA (maybe MPP?) with an end goal of working at an environmental or animal focused organization (nature conservancy, WWF, ASPCA, nat geo society etc) are there any colleges with strong ties to this industry??

How are career prospects for MPA program?

TLDR - cap rents specifically for homes categorized as single family homes through either a legal limit or a tax for rents above the cap.

One of the struggles in housing is the supply of homes on the market. The other is houses as an investment strategy. By limiting just the rent side of the equation and not the purchase amount and also looking to only single family homes and not multi family homes (duplexes, townhomes, apartments), policy can reshape the incentives of the market.

I'd argue that the classification of a single family home is intended for owner occupancy, ie The American Dream. Currently about 31% of all single family homes are rented out. By capping how much rent can be obtained, I would expect this number will drop as more people decide to sell rather than be capped. For those that wish to continue to rent their property, they will be able to but without being able to raise the rent past the cap. Builders can continue to build single family homes, but these new properties will more likely go to owner occupants than to investors. Home prices can continue to increase unimpeded by this regulation, and developers can build multi family homes to avoid the rent cap entirely.

The cap I'm proposing will be tied to two factors:

1. The minimum wage in that market

2. The legal occupancy limit for that property

One way the math could work is:

R_{max} = (MW \times 160 \times 0.30) \times (OC/2)

Where MW is the minimum wage and OC is occupancy limit. So for a 3 bedroom house in my town (Tumwater):

$ 16.28 \times 160 \times 0.30 \times 6 / 2 = $2344.32

Which is pretty close to what the average 3 bedroom house rents for here.

However in Seattle the math looks like :

$ 20.76 \times 160 \times 0.30 \times 6 / 2 = $2989.44

Which is significantly lower than the current average for a 3 bedroom house in Seattle (currently anywhere from $3800-$5200)

One additional policy would also needed to be added to keep loopholes out of this policy. Short term rentals (think like Airbnb) would only be allowed if the property is owner occupied. Basically if you go on vacation and want to rent out your house while you're away, no problem. Want to run a hotel instead, then it's a hotel and as such regulated as such.

Also I do want to address a known counter argument:

"But Daniel, most single family homes that are rented out (85%) are small time landlords, Mom and Pops, shouldn't you make an exemption for them?"

I'm sorry, no. The small time landlords loophole is something investors can drive a truck through coming up with shell companies to get around the cap. To protect all current landlords, rents will frozen at whatever they currently are now with whatever tenant agreement that predate this policy, but all new rents, be it increases or new leases will be capped if and only if the property is a single family home.

Now the implementation can look like two different avenues depending on which is more politically feasible:

Option 1 - rents are capped and cannot go higher than the math says it can go.

Option 2 - a tax for the activity providing a rental property which is set at 0.00% for all rents below the cap, and at 80% above the cap, with the revenue going to the local government.

Honestly there's a lot that can go into fixing housing, but to me this seems like a good first step in a balanced approach.

It’s for an assignment and for some reason my professor has been unresponsive

this is an external module I am taking which is why I have little doubts that don’t add up

We had to pick our own topic for a policy brief addressed to a minister in one European country

I choose making abortion accessible in Poland that is making it legal on request or decriminalising it

The question is I am confused if a policy brief can be written to a minister who does not have the power to change the legislation or not

Background on Poland,
Influence of catholic groups decide what is legitimate on abortion

It feels like I’ll lose marks over this and I don’t know who else to ask

I am American and am planning on applying to the full range of MPP/MPA programs in the U.S. This past application cycle, I applied only to Economic programs but have since had a change of perspective. I have been accepted to both Oxford MPhil Econ 2 years and Cambridge MPhil Econ Research 1 year with potential full funding.

Would pursuing either MPhil (1y vs 2y) benefit my application, or would they be interpreted as a mutually exclusive education? As I want to prioritize the policy applications, I need to decide between these degrees or another year of employment. All other aspects of my application (GRE, work experience, GPA) are in line with policy admissions.

I work in climate adaptation & development and am interested in roles in climate finance, project management, or economic positions - hence why I want the ability to explore these careers in policy school and potentially even + MBA.