Student Profile: Ben Schiffman, MPP Class of 2025

A native of Westchester, NY, Ben Schiffman is fascinated by questions that concern the ethical implications of policy, particularly in local government contexts. “Something that is often a challenge for policymakers is this idea of taking abstract concepts about ethics and applying them to policy issues,” Schiffman said. “There are many things people agree on, but how can we translate those ideas into policy?”

Schiffman recently earned his bachelor’s in political science and bioethics from the University of Rochester. "I was originally interested in political theory and law, but a course called ‘Act Locally’ piqued my interest in policy. We were encouraged to attend local meetings, such as neighborhood associations or schoolboards, to better understand issues people are concerned with on a daily basis."

In summer 2022, Schiffman further delved into local politics on a global level through the Masa Israel Government and Politics Fellowship program. "I traveled throughout Israel and met with local politicians to better understand current geopolitical climates and diplomacy problems. Being able to meet with the people addressing those issues as representatives of their communities really humanized the experience for me.”

Through Masa, Schiffman also had the opportunity to work as a Research Assistant at Tel Aviv University. “I was working with a political science professor at the university researching polarization in the United States,” he says. “I, and one other fellow, brainstormed on a topic and developed a hypothesis that related polarization in an area to that same area’s crime rate. After we developed our theory, we handed it off to the professor for him to complete a quantitative analysis after the program ended.”

As for how Schiffman came to select The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Master of Public Policy for his next academic step, he said he was first exposed to Harris' data-driven approach during one of his undergraduate courses. “I took a course on game theory and policymaking, and we used one of Professor Ethan Bueno de Mesquita’s textbooks, Political Economy for Public Policy. I can honestly say that it was one of the only times I have really enjoyed reading through a textbook. In addition, one of my professors, Professor Hein Goemans, earned his PhD at UChicago, so he was able to talk to me about the school and the program.”

What most appealed to Schiffman about Harris was the emphasis on quantitative analysis. “Being data-driven is important to me and the work I want to do, and I think being able to strengthen those skills through the program will open up a lot of doors for me in the future.”

Outside of academics, Schiffman is also looking forward to the opportunity to get involved with UC3P, The University of Chicago Public Policy Podcast Network. “I love podcasts, and I think it would be really cool to write for one. I like trying to boil down complicated things into digestible formats. Plus, producing podcasts—with either students pursuing different policy areas or experts in various fields—would expose me to new policy areas."