Harris Policy Labs

Harris Policy Labs is a unique initiative in which teams of second-year Harris students apply their rigorous core education to real-time public policy challenges facing client organizations. Students who complete the program are better-prepared policy professionals with a competitive advantage in the job market.

Are you an organization who could benefit from participation in Policy Labs? Engage current Harris students.

Objectives

Harris Policy Labs strengthens students’ professional experience and skills. Through the program, students gain hands-on experience with analyzing, developing, advocating for, and implementing policy in “real-world” contexts. In addition, Policy Labs students build other professional skills including client and project management, while expanding their professional networks.

Program Structure

Harris Policy Labs is offered in Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters. Individual Labs are organized thematically, each with a distinct mix of client projects.

Each Lab engages a mix of external clients, which may include government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Some past and current clients include:

• City of Gary, Cook County Health and Hospitals System
• Metropolitan Planning Council
• Navy Pier
• Oxfam America
• Illinois Department of Human Services
• University of Chicago Medicine

Students work in teams to tackle issues directly related to the client organization’s mission and policy area, and develop and present a set of solution-oriented deliverables designed to effectively address the assigned policy challenge.

Guided by a Harris faculty member and a professional advisor, each Lab includes a weekly class session, client meetings, professional development, and a final presentation to the client.

Example Client Projects

• Impact Investing Policy Lab
• Safety Net, Health and Education Policy Lab
• Energy and Environmental Policy Lab
• Infrastructure Finance Policy Lab
• Global Conflict and International Development Policy Lab
• Philanthropic Sector Policy Lab

Students address some of today’s most challenging policy issues for nonprofits, government agencies, multilateral NGOs, and divisions within UChicago by:

• analyzing government data to better understand economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on individuals and families;
• estimating costs to replace lead service lines that may be contributing to increased lead levels in drinking water;
• evaluating policies to reduce global conflict in fragile states and communities;
• developing surveys and indicators to measure and improve health, economic and social justice outcomes in challenged communities; and,
• estimating the cost of carbon in setting energy prices.

Current students can get details on this year's Policy Labs clients and projects in the Current Student portal (login required).

Benefits

Each Lab may focus on a different policy area or set of policy tools, but regardless of policy topic, students benefit significantly from participating in Policy Labs.  Students will have opportunities to:

• Drive policy change in challenging, real-world environments
• Analyze and execute all dimensions of a policy challenge
• Understand policy institutions from the inside
• Link into network of policymakers and policy “influencers”
• Enhance communications, project management, and teamwork skills
• Engage in cross-Labs professional development workshops

Interested in learning more? Check out this Harris podcast featuring three recent Harris graduates discussing their projects and client relationships, and what they gained from their experiences.

As part of the Harris Policy Labs, I was presented with a policy problem and worked with my team to develop a practical solution and a plan to to implement it. Going through each phase of that process, from initial meetings with our client to presenting a polished proposal has been invaluable in my career, where I am often expected to to work with clients and my team to develop actionable ideas for policy research.

- Mikia Manley, MPP'16, Human Services Research Analyst at Mathematica Policy Research

Eligibility and Requirements

All second-year Harris students are encouraged to enroll. One year master’s students are also welcome to enroll during Winter and Spring Quarters. Second- and third-year students from other professional schools are also invited to enroll, subject to faculty consent.

Students will receive one letter grade and 100 units of course credit (one full course) upon completion of each quarter.

FAQ