The Lauder Institute has launched the Policy and Politics Program to provide experiential learning opportunities for students exploring the intersection of business and politics.
Credit: Chenyao LiuPenn’s Lauder Institute has launched the Policy and Politics Program to provide opportunities for students to explore the intersection of business and politics through experiential learning.
The program includes small-group training sessions led by policy professionals on Penn's campus and in Washington, D.C. Students can pursue independent fieldwork, including identifying research contacts, conducting interviews with local experts, and developing professional-quality policy briefs tailored to their specific regions of interest.
“PPP provides our students with an intimate understanding of the political context in which business happens worldwide, equipping them for success as global business leaders,” Faculty Director of Strategic Initiatives and the Global Program at the Lauder Institute Regina Abrami said in the Lauder Institute’s press release.
The inaugural cohort of rising sophomores traveled to 17 countries during the summer of 2024, including Egypt, Burkina Faso, and South Korea. With up to 10 days of field research funding, students explored pressing policy issues and built networks in their regions of focus.
Second-year Wharton MBA student Joselyn Salazar, who participated in Lauder’s French program, said she initially lacked a professional network in Europe and had “limited knowledge of central banking” before beginning the program.
“These constraints pushed me to think very creatively about sourcing interviews, ultimately leading to conversations with local scholars, journalists, and even the Director General of Communications at the European Central Bank,” Salazar added to the Lauder Institute.
Upon completing the program, students are recognized as “Lauder Politics and Policy Fellows.”
Lauder Institute Director and finance professor Jules van Binsbergen described PPP as an example of the Lauder Institute’s commitment to helping students understand and interact with global business and its complexities.
“Our students graduate with unparalleled insight into the relationship between politics, policy, and business, and the skills to lead confidently on the world stage,” Binsbergen said in the press release.
The program will welcome its next cohort of students in spring 2025.
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