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Policy Research Shop

The Policy Research Shop [PRS] is your opportunity to contribute directly to the public policy debate in Vermont and New Hampshire by providing valuable, non-partisan research to legislators on critical issues facing each state. You will begin your work with an intensive research class in the fall term, followed by up to two terms of additional research as an independent study or a paid internship. You will meet directly with elected officials and staff as you develop and refine high-quality research products. See the most recent PRS Policy Briefs from academic year 2008-2009 below. See all academic year 2008-2009 Testimonies.  See the collection of PRS Policy Briefs from 2004-2008.  For additional information, please contact Professor Ronald Shaiko.

How to Get Started

If you are interested in participating in the PRS you should enroll in PBPL 45: Introduction to Public Policy Research during the fall term in order to work in the PRS during the winter and/or spring terms. Professor Ron Shaiko, associate director of the Rockefeller Center, teaches PBPL 45; the initial work on student projects begins in this course. If you excel in the Public Policy Research course you will be invited to work as an intern in the Policy Research Shop during the winter and spring terms. You may work in the Policy Research Shop for academic credit (PBPL 91) or as a paid intern. Working in the PRS provides an opportunity for you to apply your learning by completing research on policy issues of interest to policymakers in Vermont and New Hampshire.

You Will Also Be Interested In

Winter 2009- PRS Students

prsstudents09[Back Row (left to right): Karen Doster, Raymond Rodriguez, Schuyler Evans, Tyler Ford, Michael Coburn, Derek Summerville, Michael Fields, Chris Zablocki.Front Row (left to right): Brian Freeman, Tara Wohlgemuth, Christine Souffrant, Jennifer Murray, Anya Perret, Alex Mahler-Haug, Lucy Pollard. (Not pictured: Elisabeth Ericson)]

 

2009-2010 PRS Mentors

0910 mentors[From left to right: Professor Ronald Shaiko; Graduate Research Fellow, Micah Sagebiel; Policy Research Shop Co-Managers, Serena Laws and David Glick]

2009-2010 PRS Managers

glick Visiting Assistant Professor David Glick was a graduate student in the Department of Politics at Princeton University (Ph.D. expected, November 2009). His dissertation "Learning from Others to Make Sense of the Law: Legal Response Policy Making in Higher Education," combines a formal model with original survey and interview data. He analyzes how those affected by legal changes decide how to respond to them. He focuses on how they learn from others, and how responses to the law are systematically interdependent. His research and teaching interests include political institutions, learning and decision making, law, regulation, research methods, and education. He is the author of "Strategic Retreat and the Gold Clause Cases," which won the APSA's Law and Courts section's CQ Press award. The article was recently published in the Journal of Politics (July 2009). Professor Glick graduated from Williams College with a B.A. and worked as a consultant for the Monitor Group in Cambridge Massachusetts before graduate school.  Professor Glick's academic web page.

 

laws Visiting Assistant Professor Serena Laws received her B.A. from Amherst College, and did her graduate training in Political Science at the University of Minnesota (Ph.D. expected 2009). Her dissertation, “What is Owed: Debt, Bankruptcy, and American Citizenship,” examines how the rise of consumer debt in the United States has been historically linked to an ever changing meaning of American Citizenship. Given this shift, the institution of bankruptcy has become part of the American social safety net, acting as a form of relief for those in extreme debt. Before coming to Dartmouth, Professor Laws taught courses in law and public policy at St. Olaf College and Macalester College. Her research has been supported by the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy Grant in 2007 and through a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship and Thesis Research Grant through the University of Minnesota.

Graduate Research Fellow

sagebiel Graduate Fellow Micah Sagebiel is a student at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth (M.B.A. expected, June 2010). He received a B.A. in International Relations from Colgate University and a M.P.A. from the LBJ School at The University of Texas at Austin. He has worked in organizations across the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Prior to Dartmouth, he led the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Initiative (T-STEM), a $110 million education reform initiative of the Texas High School Project. The project is funded by the State of Texas, Communities Foundation of Texas, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

 

2008-2009 PRS Policy Briefs

If You Are a Legislator

Students who participate in the PRS are committed to providing accurate research that responds to the needs of elected policymakers and their legislative staff throughout the year. Our researchers examine emerging issues of concern that are relevant to legislative discussions in both New Hampshire and Vermont. These topics are selected through a consultative process with policy stakeholders. We make every effort to include policy experts from both states in this process.

The PRS typically produces reports with opportunities for follow-up research upon request. Our goal is to provide useful information in a clear format, and to deliver this information in a timely manner so that it is useful during legislative deliberation. If you are interested in working with our students on a policy research project this year, we would be delighted to discuss it with you. Our students will work hard to bring their research skills to assist your committee in meeting its policy needs.

For More Information Contact

Last Updated: 11/20/09