The Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) is the culmination of your Harvard Kennedy School experience. Many of our MPP graduates consider it to be one of the highlights of their vlog education.
During the PAE, you examine and develop solutions for a public or nonprofit sector policy or management issue presented by a client organization. The final analysis—usually around 40 pages or 10,000 words—gives you the opportunity to integrate the technical skills and specialized knowledge you have gained from the MPP curriculum while also helping a client organization tackle an existing concern.
Recognizing that significant numbers of Americans are effectively disenfranchised by the many hurdles placed in their path when it comes to voting, two teams of MPP students used their Policy Analysis Exercise to work with organizations committed to strengthening civic engagement and voting access.
Your Analysis, Your Recommendations
In your second-year fall semester, you enroll in a year-long seminar in your Policy Area of Concentration (PAC)/Concentration. The PAC Seminars serve to familiarize you with key issues and policy debates in your particular area and guide you through the PAE writing process. Once you declare your PAE topic, you will be assigned a faculty advisor whose expertise aligns with that topic.
You and your client work together to define specific issues, design research strategies, gather data, formulate and evaluate options, and, finally, make actionable recommendations. It is not unusual for client organizations to implement the PAE recommendations made by students.
PAE Showcase
Each spring, a select group of MPP students present their PAE projects and share their findings and recommendations with our vlog community. Learn more about some of these students and their projects below.
Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) Showcase
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 | 4:30-6:30 p.m. | Wexner Commons
List of Presenters and their Projects
Business and Government Policy (BGP)
Léa Abou Moussa and Jennifer Pfister
Leadership Development in the Age of AI
Client: Human Leadership Lab
Faculty Advisor: Julie Battilana
Nicholas Hanson and John Keyes
Forging Consensus: Analyzing the Gap in U.S. Domestic Support to Defend Taiwan Against CCP Aggression
Client: U.S. House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party
Faculty Advisor: and
Logan Herman and Kabir Mehta
Reaching Real Time: Payments in the United States
Client: Digital Assets Policy Project
Faculty Advisor: Jason Furman
Pranay Ramesh Patil
Transforming Access to Secondary-Tertiary Healthcare in India
Client: Evernile Capital
Faculty Advisor: John Haigh
Charlotte Ross
Accelerating Breakthrough Climate Technology with ARPA-E
Client: ARPA-E
Faculty Advisor: Henry Lee
Alexis williams
Strategies for Sustainable and Equitable Workforce Development in North Carolina
Client: Made in Durham
Faculty Advisor: Anthony Foxx and
Democracy, Politics and Institutions (DPI)
Maya Alper
Digital Service Delivery for Stronger Communities
Client: Boston Digital Service, Department of Innovation and Technology, City of Boston
Faculty Advisor: Justin de Benedictis-Kessner
Aliza Amin
Driving Online Safety Improvements for End-to-End Encrypted Messaging Services in the United Kingdom
Client: Ofcom
Faculty Advisor: James Waldo
Quint Forgey and Alexis Sargent
Improving Democratic Economic Messaging Toward Young, Working-Class Voters
Client: Center for American Progress
Faculty Advisor: David King
Paul Robert Nolan III
Government by Design
Client: Office of Management and Budget
Faculty Advisor: Lauren Brodsky
Jebb Ricketts
Addressing the Need for Public Fellowships for the State of Connecticut
Client: The Office of Governor Ned Lamont
Faculty Advisor: Mark Fagan
Madeline Shiley
Strategies for Effective Messaging: Countering Reactionary Opposition to Student Inclusion
Client: Southern Poverty Law Center
Faculty Advisor: Maya Sen
International and Global Affairs (IGA)
Neha Bhatia
Reaching for Remedy: Improving Remediation Under the U.S. Forced Labor Import Ban
Client: The Solidarity Center, AFL-CIO
Faculty Advisor: Douglas Johnson
Hugh Grant-Chapman and Tom McGee
Japan's Chip Challenge: Semiconductor Policy for the Data Center Era
Client: Government of Japan, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
Faculty Advisor: Robert Lawrence
Gabriel Harrison
Mutual Aid in a Changing Climate: Enhancing Wildland Fire Cooperation Between the United States and Canada
Client: The Wilson Center's Canada Institute
Faculty Advisor: Juliette Kayyem
Ruvimbo Mushavi
Unlocking Opportunity: Building the Case for Enhancing Regular Pathways for Africa-EU Migration
Client: Immigration and Border Governance Division, International Organization for Migration
Faculty Advisor: Jacqueline Bhabha
Sofie Lilli Stoffel
Protecting Tomorrow: Assessing Germany’s Foreign Policy Impact on Children and Security in post-ISIS Iraq
Client: Save the Children Germany
Faculty Advisor: Jacqueline Bhabha
Lilly Tong
Future of Protein
Client: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Faculty Advisor: Sheila Jasanoff
Political and Economic Development (DEV)
Novi Andriyanto
Unlocking the Potential of Indonesian AID Strategies for Enhancing Assistance Impact
Client: Indonesian Agency for International Development (Indonesian AID)
Faculty Advisor: Michael Woolcock
Daksh Baheti
What’s Limiting the Achievement of Better Health Outcomes? A Study of the Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana in Rajasthan, India
Client: Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies, India
Faculty Advisor: Jeffrey Liebman
Nadyah Hilmi
Artificial Intelligence and Urban Resilience: An Overview of City Use Cases
Client: The Rockefeller Foundation
Faculty Advisor: James Waldo
Ilai Levin, Lucy McSweeney, and Mannat Singh
From Displacement to Learning: Overcoming Educational Barriers for Ukrainian Refugees in Italy
Client: The World Bank
Faculty Advisor: Michela Carlana
Aya Taketani
Inflation Dynamics and Its Heterogeneous Effects in Japan: Does Energy Subsidy Program Alleviate Household Burdens?
Client: Dr. Taro Ohno, Chief Economist at Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance in Japan
Faculty Advisor: Karen Dynan
Shunta Takino
Increasing Routine Child Immunization Rates in Nigeria
Client: Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
Faculty Advisor:
Social and Urban Policy (SUP)
mathew Alexander and Isaac Nicchitta
Streamlining Medicaid and Medicare Savings Program Eligibility and Enrollment in North Carolina
Client: NC Medicaid Division of Health Benefits
Faculty Advisor: Amitabh Chandra
Jennifer Beltran, Juan Felipe Celia Maestre, junho Hyun-Sack, and huw Spencer
LUCHA: Building a Co-Governance Model for People-Powered Change in Arizona
Client: LUCHA
Faculty Advisor: Liz McKenna
Phoebe Canagarajah
Filling Fractures: Identifying and Addressing Long COVID Health Needs in Colorado
Client: Dr. Mirwais Baheej, Senior Policy Advisor on Long COVID and Post-Viral Infection Planning
Faculty Advisor: Sheila Burke
Alice Duncan-Graves
Enhancing Food Recovery: Bridging the Gap Between Waste and Food Insecurity with Stopwaste
Client: StopWaste
Faculty Advisor: Jack Donahue
Mehar Jauhar
Scorching Realities: Extreme Heat and Maternal Health in Rural India
Client: American India Foundation
Faculty Advisor: Elizabeth Rourke
Rachel Jimenez and emily Ratte
Fortifying Disaster Response for Vulnerable Communities: Recommendations for Evacuation and Sheltering Protocols in American Samoa
Client: Territorial Emergency Management Coordinating Office, American Samoa Department of Homeland Security
Faculty Advisor: Juliette Kayyem
Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) Showcase
Wexner Commons
April 25, 2023 | 4:30-6:30 p.m.
List of Presenters
Business and Government Policy (BGP)
Elena Bauer and Andy Franklin
People & Purpose: Bringing Early/Mid-Career Talent into the U.S. Federal Government
Client: U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Faculty Advisor: Nick Sinai
Thomas Cowan
The First Wave of Federally Regulated Stablecoins: An Evolutionary, Intermediary-Driven Improvement to Dollar Movement
Client: Digital Assets Policy Project
Faculty Advisor: Lawrence Summers
Ethan Lundgren, Seth Myers, and Ilya Timtchenko
The Future of U.S. Development Assistance to Ukraine: Facilitating Ukraine’s EU Accession in the Agriculture, Energy, and Tech Sectors?
Client: U.S. Agency for International Development, Bureau for Europe & Eurasia
Faculty Advisor:
Rose O'Brien
Crossing Wires: Strategies for Addressing the Impact of Sanctions Overcompliance on Humanitarian Assistance
Client: Norwegian Refugee Council
Faculty Advisor: Robert Lawrence
Democracy, Politics and Institutions (DPI)
Jose Altamirano
Voices of the Frontline: Online Peer Communities and Local Election Official Job Satisfaction
Client: Civic Roundtable
Faculty Advisor: Justin de Benedictis-Kessner
stephanie beja, Brianne Berry, and Zizhan Luo
Risk Appetite and Hunger: An Analysis of Conflict, Food Security, and Humanitarian Access in the Horn of Africa
Client: Norwegian Refugee Council
Faculty Advisor: Julie Boatright Wilson
Raie Gessesse, Taylor Jones, and Brandon McGhee
Advancing Human Rights in the United States: The Case for a National Human Rights Institution
Client: Southern Poverty Law Center
Faculty Advisor: Mathias Risse
Jason Low and Emma Strother
Discretionary Grant Competitions: Bolstering New and Diverse Applicants
Client: U.S. Department of Education, Grants Policy Office
Faculty Advisor: Christopher Avery
Mike Manougian and hannah scott
Threats from Within: Countering Far-Right Extremism and Safeguarding the NATO Alliance
Client: West Point Combatting Terrorism Center
Faculty Advisor: Juliette Kayyem
International and Global Affairs (IGA)
christian allard and Isabella Paternostro
From Recognition to Action: Policy Responses after U.S. Genocide Determination in Myanmar
Client: Fortify Rights
Faculty Advisor: Mathias Risse
Alejandra Davila, Alejandro Garcia Escobar plascencia, Nesrine Mbarek, and Jamie Wu
Somos Poderosas: Scaling Up Sexual and Reproductive Health Education in Colombia
Client: Poderosas
Faculty Advisor: Dara Kay Cohen
Tammy Nguyen
Building Health System Resilience: Preparing Norway and NATO for an Article V Scenario
Client: The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment and NATO's Committee of the Chiefs of Medical Services
Faculty Advisor: Juliette Kayyem
Jayaram Ravi and max simon
Navigating China’s Opportunistic Approach to Overseas Naval Base Acquisition
Client: U.S. Department of Defense
Faculty Advisor: Eric Rosenbach
Bethan Saunders
Lift Off: Scaling Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Autonomous Capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense
Client: U.S. Department of Defense, Emerging Capabilities Policy Office
Faculty Advisor: Eric Rosenbach
Political and Economic Development (DEV)
emma Catalfamo
Including Students with Special Education Needs in the OECD's PISA
Client: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) team
Faculty Advisor: Michela Carlana
Stuti Ginodia and Esther Hallsdóttir
Unlocking Potential: A Roadmap to Reduce Stunting in Sindh, Pakistan
Client: World Bank Group, Pakistan
Faculty Advisor: Asim Khwaja
Renata Koch Alvarenga
A Matter of Survival: Building Climate Resilience in the Caribbean Through Early Disaster Risk Financing
Client: World Food Programme
Faculty Advisor: Akash Deep
yi wu
Developing an Efficient Investment Framework of Transmission Grid Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa
Client: World Bank
Faculty Advisor: William Hogan
Social and Urban Policy (SUP)
vic Hogg and Leah Kessler
River-Wide Approach: Expanding Tribal Capacity to Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change Impacts in Interior Alaska Native Communities
Client: Alaska Venture Fund
Faculty Advisor: Joseph Kalt
gemma holt and Andrew Wei
A Watershed Moment: Enabling Cost-Effective and Equitable Regional Climate Resilience Planning in the Mystic River Watershed
Client: Resilient Mystic Collaborative
Faculty Advisor: Linda Bilmes
jacob metz
Trust the Process: Bringing Civic Innovation to Green Bay
Client: City of Green Bay
Faculty Advisor: Stephen Goldsmith
Rachel pak
Understanding and Reimagining Migration Narratives in Spain
Client: Fundación porCausa
Faculty Advisor: Jacqueline Bhabha
Analisa Sorrells
New York City to Nationwide: Strengthening and Scaling Food Action Boards
Client: Hunger Free America
Faculty Advisor: Sheila Burke
Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) Showcase
Wexner Commons
April 26, 2022 | 4-6 p.m.
List of Presenters
Business and Government Policy (BGP)
Charlie Bingham
Intentional DEI: Implementing Policies, Practices and Strategies to Maximize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Siimee, Inc.
Client: Siimee, Inc.
Faculty Advisor: Iris Bohnet
biz Peabody with Akhil Iyer and Ryan Solís
Evaluating Foreign Investment Review: Ensuring National Security and Investing in the Final Frontier
Client: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Foreign Investment Review
Faculty Advisors: Robert Lawrence and
Majd Steitieh
Alive & Kickin’: How Qatar Can Host a Successful 2022 World Cup Given COVID-19 Concerns & Limitations
Client: The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (Doha, Qatar)
Faculty Advisor: Juliette Kayyem
Maddie Ulanow
Singing the Living Tradition: Strategies for Investing for Racial Equity in Religious Endowments
Client: The Unitarian Universalist Common Endowment Fund
Faculty Advisor: David Wood
Molly Welch
Jane Capital: Increasing Female Representation in the Start-Up Ecosystem Through Angel Investing
Client: N/A
Faculty Advisors: Nick Sinai and
Democracy, Politics and Institutions (DPI)
Callie King-Guffey
Does the U.S. Comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child? Inspiring Sub-National Reform in the Last Country to Ratify the CRC
Client: Human Rights Watch
Faculty Advisor: Kathryn Sikkink
Christine Mukamayanja
Scaling The Center for Employment Opportunities' SMS Platform for Digital Advocacy
Client: Center for Employment Opportunities
Faculty Advisor: Malcolm Sparrow
International and Global Affairs (IGA)
Rachel Carle
Anticipating Climate Disasters in Yemen: Conflict-Sensitive Policy Development
Client: Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
Faculty Advisor: Claude Bruderlein
Jean-André Prager
Evaluation and Policy Recommendations for The Blue Acres Program in the State of New Jersey through the Lens of Equity and Best Practice
Client: The Governor of New Jersey and The First Lady of New Jersey
Faculty Advisor: Daniel Schrag
Zach Wehrli with Stefani Jones
Disinformation and Division: Analyzing Threats to Security and Democracy in South Africa
Client: U.S. Department of State
Faculty Advisor: Stephen Walt
Dylan Welch with Kyle Johnson, Coen Williams, and Erick Boone
The United States and China in Space: Policies and Strategies for International Relations
Faculty Advisor: Anthony Saich
Political and Economic Development (DEV)
Mayra Hoyos Benítez with Valerie Moreyra
Building Economic Autonomy of Women in Situations of Violence in Mexico
Client: The National Institute for Women in Mexico
Faculty Advisor: Janina Matuszeski
Shadin Nassief
The Gender Gap at the Top: Equity and Inclusion in the Saudi Arabian Labor Market
Client: Alnahda Society
Faculty Advisor: Iris Bohnet
Lauren Truong with Kerianne DiBattista and Dana Radojevic
Applying the Principle of Neutrality in Today’s Complex Humanitarian Crises
Client: World Health Organization
Faculty Advisor: Matthew Andrews
Yuqi Zhu with William Mulhern
Shaping a Clean Energy Future—A Demand Flexibility Strategy for the City of Denver
Client: City and County of Denver, Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CASR)
Faculty Advisor: Henry Lee
Social and Urban Policy (SUP)
Ben Demers
Supporting San Francisco's Nightlife Ecosystem: A Report for the Office of Economic and Workforce Development
Client: Nightlife and Entertainment Sector, San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development
Faculty Advisor:
Juliahna Green
One Call to Fix it All: Improving 311 Awareness and Utilization in the City of South Bend
Client: City of South Bend
Faculty Advisor: Rafael Carbonell
Tessa Holtzman with Valerie Eisenson
Scaling a Solution: Expanding Early College Programs in Massachusetts
Client: The Massachusetts Alliance for Early College
Faculty Advisors: Julie Boatright Wilson and Tom Kane
Manoela Miranda
Cinco Básicos: A Community-Based Approach to Early Childhood Development in Brazil
Client: Cinco Básicos
Faculty Advisor: Ronald Ferguson
Kimberly Schaefer
Confidential and Consequential: Expanding Protections for Confidential Communications for Adolescents in Hawai’i
Client: Hawai'i Pre/Inter-Conception Workgroup
Faculty Advisor: Joseph Newhouse
Curb Space and Its Discontents: Evaluating and Allocating New York City's Curbs
Daniel Comeaux MPP 2020
Client: New York City Department of Transportation
Scaling the Field Program in Modern Political Campaigns: Investigating Determinants of Capacity in Mobilizing and Organizing
Ben McGuire MPP 2019
Client: Democratic National Committee
Massachusetts’ remaining uninsured: Who they are and how to cover them
Daniel Nelson and Joshua Rushakoff MPP 2019
Client: Massachusetts Connector
Child Protection in Conflict and Post Conflict Regions: A Global Evaluation of the International Rescue Committee's Families Make the Difference Parenting Program
Sophie Feintuch MPP 2018
Client: International Rescue Committee
Medicaid Managed Care in Iowa
Ethan Forsgren MPP 2018
Client: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics & University of Iowa Health Alliance
Realizing the Value of Bonneville Power Administration's Flexible Hydroelectric Assets
Patricia Florescu and Jack Pead MPP 2018
Client: Bonneville Power Administration
Scaling Up Post-Harvest Losses Interventions in Uganda Through Market Forces
Agustin Viola MPP 2017
Client: World Food Programme
Moving Toward Efficiency: A Results-Driven Analysis of Utility-Based Energy Efficiency Policies
Shauna Theel and Andreas Westgaard MPP 2017
Client: Opower, a part of Oracle Utilities
Italy and Startups: Harnessing a Country of Innovators
Luca de Angelis MPP 2017
Client: Prime Minister's Office of the Italian Republic and Ministry of Economic Development of the Italian Republic
Gender Equality in the Mexican Foreign Service
Tania Del Rio MPP 2016
Client: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico
Reducing Pharmaceutical Costs: Opportunities & Challenges for MassHealth
Melissa Quick, Celia Segel, and Paul Trompke MPP 2016
Client: The MassHealth Pharmacy Program
The “Stuck Kids” Problem: Assessment of the Children’s Mental Health System in Massachusetts
Emily Hartmann and Katherine Schiavoni MPP 2015
Client: Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Pre-Kindergarten at Uncommon Schools: Building Blocks for Early Childhood
Angela McPhaul and Paulene Meyers MPP 2015
Client: Uncommon Schools
Transitional Care Models for the Elderly: Exploring Potential for Pay For Success (PFS) Opportunities for Third Sector Capital Partners
Ashley Zlatinov MPP 2015
Client: Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc.
"If the Drumbeat Changes, the Dance Must Also Change" Using a Gender-Integrated Approach to Enhance Household and Community Resilience to Food Insecurity in the Sahel
Allison Shean MPP 2014
Client: Mercy Corps
Aligned Pathways: Fostering Strategic Business Engagement in Education
Olga Berlinsky MPP 2014
Client: Aligned Pathways
A New Strategy for Reducing the Threat of Dangerous Øday Sales to Global Security and the Economy
Michele Golabek-Goldman MPP 2014
Client: Department of Homeland Security