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 collection of PRS Policy Briefs from 2004-2008. For additional information, please contact Professor Ronald Shaiko.
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.
Course description for PBPL 45: Introduction to Public Policy Research
Course description for PBPL 48: Policy Analysis and Local Governance
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Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics and Manager of the Policy Research Shop. Professor Parama Chaudhury is a labor economist who teaches courses on introductory economics, international trade, women and the economy, and the economics of education. She received her Ph. D. from New York University, and has been at Dartmouth since Fall 2003. During the 2006-07 academic year, Professor Chaudhury taught introductory economics and labor economics at Yale. Her research interests include the effects of new technology on workers' wages and the role of work experience and education in developing workplace skills. Professor Chaudhury grew up in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in eastern India, and got her early education there and in Delhi, India. Professor Chaudhury's home page. |
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Shelley L. Hurt joins the Rockefeller Center as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Manager of the Policy Research Shop for the 2008-2009 academic year. Hurt received her BA in Political Science from UC Berkeley and her MA and PhD degrees in Political Science from the New School for Social Research (PhD expected 2008). Her dissertation, "Science, Power, and the State: U.S. Foreign Policy, Intellectual Property Law, and the Origins of Agricultural Biotechnology, 1969-1994" analyzed extensive archival material to demonstrate that the origins of the TRIPS agreement of the World Trade Organization emerged in the late 1960s as a consequence of the biological revolution. Hurt's scholarship aims to bring the study of science and technology policy back into the center of political science debates. Hurt's research was awarded the 2007 Carl Beck Award from the International Studies Association and she has presented her research at the U.S. Department of State. Her research has been supported by fellowships from the Miller Center of Public Affairs and the New School for Social Research. Before coming to Dartmouth College, she taught Political Science at Vassar College as a Visiting Instructor for two years. |
 [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)] |
 [Professors Ronald G. Shaiko, Shelley L. Hurt, Parama Chaudhury, and Graduate Fellow Matthew H. Davis] |
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.
