Public Policy

Brief Overview

Careers in policy or public policy represent a broad field of jobs or positions within all three sectors of the economy: for-profit, nonprofit and government. Generally, public policy careers are jobs or positions that work to shape or promote issues or perspectives and solutions to those issues with the goal of impacting legislation and influencing implementation of legislative decisions.

Public policy jobs include researching and producing information that shape public policy as well as actually writing, debating and enacting public policy through legislation. Of course, this covers many different topics and fields, but all share the common factor of impacting public issues, whether at the level of a small, definable group of individuals or an entire country or nation of people.

Making public policy from the initial step of bringing the problem to the attention of the public and lawmakers to the result of implementing new legislation is a complex process that involves a vast array of organizations, jobs and positions that play different roles in the public policy cycle.

Opportunities in public policy run a wide gamut of jobs:

Draft laws for Congress Implement, enforce and articulate the laws passed by Congress
Determine the problems/issues to bring to the attention of legislators Advocacy
Lobbying Research
Policy Analyst

Public policy organizations include Congressional Staff and Committees, Trade Associations, Public Interest Groups, Think Tanks, Lobbying Firms, Capitol Hill, Federal Agencies and Departments, and Advocacy Organizations. Working in public policy may eventually require that you become an expert in a specific area. However, the skills of writing, negotiating, persuading, analyzing and understanding the process of public policy making are highly transferable from issue to issue. Public interest groups, think tanks, advocacy organizations, and particularly the Federal Government have opportunities and internships across multiple policy areas, such as:

Health/healthcare Education
Women Environment
Family Children
Economic/Urban Development International

Helpful Tips

Internships offered through the Washington Program offer multiple opportunities in the field. Although positions posted on Go IRISH are for fall & spring, many of the participating organizations offer summer internships.

Internship Links

Develop Your Own Internship

Students can also contact employers directly to create internship opportunities.

Networking

Tips for networking with family, friends, and Notre Dame alumni. Learn how to obtain access to the Irish Online alumni database.

Professional Organizations

Professional organizations provide excellent contacts for networking and informational interviews. In some cases they may post jobs and internships on their websites.

Sample List of Think Tanks

  • American Civil Liberties Union
    - A nonprofit and nonpartisan group that has grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists to an organization of more than 500,000 members and supporters.
  • Center for Strategic and International Studies
    - CSIS offers both full and part-time internships in the fall, spring and summer for undergraduate interested in gaining practical experience in public policy at an institution dedicated to analysis and policy impact.
  • Council on Foreign Relations
    - A nonpartisan and independent membership organization designed to be an online resource for everyone who wants to learn more about the complex international issues challenging policy-makers and citizens alike.
  • National Institute for Research Advancement
    - Links to directory for think tanks around the world
  • The Brookings Institution
    - Each program offers the opportunity to become involved with everyday activities at Brookings, and the chance to work in a professional research organization which studies a wide variety of public policy issues.
  • The Cato Institute
    - A non-profit public policy research foundation espousing the principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets and peace in public policy debates.
  • The Heritage Foundation
    - A research and educational institute – a think tank – whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
  • Urban Institute
    - The Urban Institute is a nonprofit nonpartisan policy research and educational organization established to examine the social, economic, and governance problems facing the nation.