Past Grants

Jessica Batke will lead an effort to provide the policy community with insights into the political and social stability of China through inferences drawn from seldom-examined data and official government information. She will collect and analyze online data produced either by the Chinese government or by third parties working for the government. The project’s findings will appear in a series of four reports and monographs, interactive online content platforms, and journal articles.

Samantha Ravich will direct the research and publications program of a cybersecurity policy lab designed to develop and pilot solutions to challenges that lie at the nexus of policy and technology. The lab will recruit fellows, each of whom will develop a solution to a pressing cybersecurity challenge that could be piloted and advanced through policy channels. The project’s findings will appear in a series of papers and articles as well as a series of outreach meetings with the policy community and private-sector actors.

David Dilegge will edit and publish Small Wars Journal, an online publication focused on improving the policy community’s ability to cope with increasing global disorder by enhancing the understanding of irregular warfare and stabilization operations.

Steven Goldsmith and Kate Coleman will research and write a book exploring how cities can create economic opportunities for their most disadvantaged residents. They will examine a variety of local government programs that harness technology and develop partnerships with private sector firms and nonprofit organizations to reduce barriers to employment, increase skills, and improve mobility so that individuals can more easily access employment opportunities.

Douglas Harris will direct the research and publications program of a policy lab assessing the role of market-based reforms in the performance of school districts across the country. Building on the National Longitudinal School Choice Database, the lab will develop databases on achievement growth for all public and charter schools in the country; parent reviews of public, charter, and private schools; and descriptions of state and local policies. Using this data, Harris and his colleagues will compare the performance of districts across the country and examine the extent to which districts have created well-functioning markets that allow new schools to open, force the closing of low-performing schools, and provide parents with a variety of school options. The project’s findings will appear in a series of reports, articles, and policy briefs.

Donald Jensen and Peter Doran will research and write a monograph assessing the likelihood and implications of Russia’s escalation beyond hybrid war tactics in its competition with the West.

Clare Lockhart, Saša Hezir, Gracia Angulo Duncan, Patricia Austria, and David Thorpe will lead an effort to train political and policy reformers who can build state capacity in developing countries. They will develop a course to teach aspiring reformers or officeholders strategic and operational practices to create a reform agenda and build the institutional capacity to carry it out. They will create an online portal to provide reformers with manuals and practical guidance to enable reform, and develop digital tools to help reformers think through optimal sequencing of reforms, create action plans to drive change at the ground level, and track progress in real time. The project’s findings will appear in a report and a variety of briefing materials.

William Inboden will organize a summer seminar in history and statecraft for graduate students and sponsor a micro-grant program to support archival research, field work, and policy outreach by graduate students and faculty at the University of Texas.

Emil Frankel will lead an effort to explore whether better governance models for the U.S. transportation system could make the system more efficient and supportive of economic growth. He will examine whether new governance models, including regional compacts among state and local governments and public-private partnerships, could better meet America’s transportation needs. The project’s findings will appear in a report and a multimedia briefing for public officials.

Nathan Jensen will examine the role of targeted tax incentives in state and local government economic development strategies. He will create a database of state and local business-tax incentive programs and assess whether mandates requiring state and local governments to disclose the costs of incentive programs lead public officials to revise their development strategies. The project’s findings will appear in a series of papers.