Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, soon to be renamed Watson School for International and Public Affairs[1][2], is an interdisciplinary research center at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Its mission is to promote a just and peaceful world through research, teaching, and public engagement.[3] The institute's research focuses on three main areas: development, security, and governance. Its faculty include anthropologists, economists, political scientists, sociologists, and historians, as well as journalists and other practitioners.
Named after
1981
Research, Teaching, and Public Engagement
111 Thayer Street, Providence, RI, 02912
$80 million
Center for Foreign Policy Development
The institute is directed by Edward Steinfeld, professor in the Department of Political Science, and director of the China Initiative at Brown University.[4] Starting July, 2024, Wendy J. Schiller, Alison S. Ressler Professor of Political Science, Public & International Affairs and Director of the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy will take over as interim Director of the new Watson School.[5]
Location[edit]
The Institute occupies three buildings surrounding a central plaza located at the southern edge Brown's campus on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island. The first is a modern and architecturally distinctive building at 111 Thayer Street, designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly in 2001. The second, Stephen Robert 62' Hall, is a glass-walled structure at 280 Brook Street designed by architect Toshiko Mori and completed in 2018. The institute also occupies a 19th-century building at 59 Charlesfield Street renovated in 2018.[6]
Academic programs[edit]
The Watson Institute offers a single undergraduate degree program in International and Public Affairs. The concentration features both a core curriculum as well as three specialized tracks (Development, Security, and Policy & Governance) among which students can choose.[18]
Graduate programs offered at the Watson Institute include the Graduate Program in Development (Ph.D.) and the Public Policy Program (M.P.A.). The Graduate Program in Development (GPD) is an NSF-funded, interdisciplinary program that supports the training of PhD candidates in anthropology, political science, economics, and sociology.[19] The Public Policy program is a one-year intensive (summer – fall – spring) full-time degree with a focus on quantitative policy analysis and management.[20] Since 2017, the institute has also offered a fifth year M.P.A program for Brown undergraduates.[21]
The institute also offers Post Doctoral,[22] professional development, and global outreach programming[23].
Area studies[edit]
The following area studies centers are based at Watson: the Brazil Initiative, the Africa Initiative, the Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), the China Initiative, and Middle East Studies (MES).
Professional programs[edit]
Two professional outreach programs are based at the institute. The Brown International Advanced Research Institutes (BIARI) provides the opportunity for junior scholars and practitioners from all over the world to study together at the institute. According to Watson's website, BIARI "aims to build transnational scholarly networks while also providing opportunities for professional development. Each summer, BIARI brings promising young faculty from the Global South together with leading scholars in their fields for two-week intensive residential institutes."[24]
Choices develops and publishes curriculum resources for high school social studies classrooms, and leads seminars for secondary school teachers. The program's mission is "to equip young people with the skills, habits, and knowledge necessary to be engaged citizens who are capable of addressing international issues with thoughtful public discourse and informed decision making."[24]
Notable faculty and fellows[edit]
Diplomats and politicians[edit]
Notable diplomats who have served as faculty and fellows at the Watson Institute include 22nd U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke[28] and former deputy secretary-general of the OECD and 11th Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, J. Brian Atwood. Heads of state and government who have served as faculty and fellows include the 34th President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso;[29] the 31st President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos;[30] former Chancellor of Austria, Alfred Gusenbauer;[31] and two-time Prime Minister of Italy, Romano Prodi.[32] Other fellows and faculty of note include the 12th president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim; former Chair of the Democratic National Committee and Secretary of Labor, Tom Perez; 7th lieutenant governor of Maryland, Michael Steele;[33] Kenyan activist Kakenya Ntaiya; and 16th Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India, Arvind Subramanian.[34]