As the new director for the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy (MIP), what is your vision for public policy education? How does the program embody this vision?

Many American public policy schools have focused on teaching students a set of quantitative skills that allow them to become policy analysts, which means you are the person writing the policy memo telling your boss what should be done. These skills are important, particularly in an age when evidence-based policy has come under attack from certain quarters.

But actually accomplishing policy change in the real world requires a broader set of skills having to do with the ability to implement policies in the face of political constraints. This requires the ability to manage stakeholder coalitions, neutralize opponents, communicate policies, and generate resources. Moreover, it often turns out that your boss wants you to analyze a precooked solution that solves the wrong problem, without ever being able to ask if you were asking the right question in the first place.

In the redesigned MIP program, we aim to teach both skill sets: to be a good policy analyst and to be a changemaker—a leader able to take policies and make them happen. We have developed a policy problem-solving framework that we think applies in many circumstances to help solve policy problems, whether in or outside government.

If you are interested in the background to this approach to public policy education, you can read more about it in my article “What’s Wrong with Public Policy Education.”

Disruptive technologies shift the way societies interact on a global level and have the potential to change the dimension in which conflicts occur. How does the MIP program equip students with the flexibility and adaptability to confront unfamiliar situations?

Our MIP program has a new track in cyber policy, build around the Freeman Spogli Institute’s (FSI) new Cyber Policy Center. Located in Silicon Valley, our program and Stanford have access to a wide range of expertise not just in technology but also in design thinking, cybersecurity, and issues concerning democracy and social media, as well as international relations specialists who have thought about issues such as hybrid warfare and other new forms of political competition.

The policy problem-solving framework I mentioned earlier can be applied to problems created by technology and as a general approach to dealing with new or unfamiliar situations. The interdisciplinary nature of FSI and the MIP program ensures that students will face problems with multiple sets of tools and can look at them from a variety of perspectives.

In an age defined by digital revolution, how does the program teach students to bridge the gap between policy leaders in areas that have access to technology and leaders in areas that may lack access?

The digital divide is not just a problem in the technological sphere. Technology and the globalization it has produced has created winners and losers along many different dimensions—technological, political, social, and cultural. I think our program is grounded in a set of political values that make students aware of the salience of these broad inequalities and hopefully will provide some methods that can help to overcome them. Further, the faculty include former and current practitioners who have direct experience dealing with these divides and the political wisdom to understand how they may be approached.

Stanford’s Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy (MIP) recently redesigned its curriculum. What was the impetus for this change?

We are firm believers that the program and its curriculum should be responsive with the ever-changing global landscape. We reevaluate our curriculum every ten years to make sure students are ready for leadership roles where they will engineer policy and spur innovation. In particular, our new curriculum reflects technology’s growing role in all dimensions of international affairs. It also provides more original learning experiences, including lab projects, interactive case method teaching, and mentorship from Stanford’s distinguished faculty. Under the program, senior faculty teach almost all courses in core and gateways courses for our new specialization tracks.

What are the highlights of this redesigned program?

One of the most exciting updates to the curriculum is our redesigned capstone practicum, Engineering Policy Change, which students take in their second year. The practicum, which is taught by Francis Fukuyama and Jeremy Weinstein, partners small student teams with real-world organizations to tackle pressing policy problems. Students also have opportunities to assist with policy-relevant research within the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). Additionally, the curriculum provides flexibility—students can pursue their academic interests in a truly interdisciplinary way, including opportunities with Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Law School, and the design school.

How does MIP prepare tomorrow’s leaders to deal with the changing nature of conflict and peaceful resolution?

MIP students graduate with expertise in quantitative analysis, decision-making, and research methodology, among other skills that contemporary policymakers need. Since students can take courses in different departments and schools, many augment their policy skills with finance, computer science, management, language, and other fields. This interdisciplinary and collaborative environment gives our students the ability to translate between different fields and perspectives that they will encounter in their future careers.

Students study one of our five areas of specialization, which include Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment; Global Health; Governance and Development; International Security; and our newest specialization, Cyber Policy and Security. This new specialization, as well as our overarching curriculum, is designed to address the growing importance that cyber and other factors have on international policy.

Keeping this ever-changing geopolitical landscape in mind, how does MIP offer students relevant networking and career opportunities?

Stanford and FSI are home to world-renowned scholars and researchers with incredible policy experience, from former ambassadors to key players in Silicon Valley. We have several faculty at FSI who have the rare combination of being leaders in their academic fields and experienced practitioners. FSI regularly hosts policymakers from around the globe and often arranges small, intimate meetings for our students. In addition, our students participate in site visits to gain exposure to policy and management departments within some of Silicon Valley’s most exciting enterprises.

Because MIP is a small and collaborative program, we have strong ties to our alumni, who routinely participate in career panels and visits and provide introductions, internships, and career opportunities for current students. Pragmatic real-world experience, combined with networking opportunities from different sectors and industries, equip our students to become leaders in international policy.

Michael A. McFaul is the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, 2012–2014; former senior director for Russia and Eurasia, U.S. National Security Council, 2009–2012; senior fellow, Hoover Institution; and professor of political science, Stanford University

What differentiates the Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies (IPS) from other policy studies programs?

Stanford has a strong tradition of collaborating across disciplines, which creates a truly interdisciplinary learning environment. IPS students can fulfill program requirements at other Stanford professional schools, such as the Graduate School of Business, the Law School, the Graduate School of Education, the design school, and even the medical school. Over the next few years, we will be rolling out more joint-degree programs to take greater advantage of these opportunities. This interdisciplinary spirit is heavily influenced by Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurial and innovative ethos. Unique courses such as hacking for defense and hacking for diplomacy afford our students opportunities to approach national security issues from a technological perspective. Courses that combine technology and international policy are unique to Stanford and differentiate us from traditional policy schools.

IPS recently underwent a reorganization, moving into the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). What changes are on the way as IPS settles into its new home?

With its diverse faculty, FSI creates greater opportunities for IPS students to work across disciplines and to receive an applied education. Over the past few years, we have worked to give students more experience with real clients in our practicum and in other classes. In the autumn quarter of 2018, there will be a new, stronger curriculum that will provide future public service professionals with even greater tools for their careers. Additionally, we will continue to grow the robust career development opportunities available to students.

What skills do students obtain in your program?

The IPS curriculum prepares students to address problems in diplomacy, governance, security, international economic policy, energy and environmental policies, and development. Our students tell us that they chose our program in order to get a firm grounding in analytical and quantitative skills. IPS graduates leave the program with expertise in quantitative analysis, policy writing, decision-making, and negotiation, among a host of other skills that contemporary policymakers need. Since students can take classes in different departments and schools at Stanford, many also obtain skills in finance, computer science, management, and other fields.

Our students must also study one of the five areas of programmatic concentration: democracy and development, energy and environment, global health, international political economy, and international security. In 2018, we are adding an additional concentration in cyber policy.

What networking and career opportunities can IPS offer to students?

At Stanford—and FSI in particular—we have a group of people with incredible policy experience. At FSI alone, there are four former ambassadors, while Stanford is home to former U.S. cabinet officials, policymakers from federal and state governments, and, of course, the Silicon Valley community. We also routinely host non-U.S. policymakers in our visiting diplomats programs. There is an increasing demand for tech companies to have effective government and international relations departments, and many of our recent graduates have accepted jobs at some of the Valley’s most exciting enterprises. IPS is not a traditional policy degree in many respects—we offer far more than that!

What are the distinguishing features of the Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies (IPS)?

We are a small program (25 students per year), which helps create a strong sense of community and common purpose. At the same time, we are embedded in a great research university. Students are able to take full advantage of the wide range of classes across Stanford while completing IPS’ core curriculum.

Our model is also different from that of our competitors. We believe the best solutions to international policy problems should come from a range of perspectives and disciplines, rather than the traditional disciplines of economics or political science. Our students can take classes almost anywhere at Stanford, including the Graduate School of Business, Stanford Law School, the School of Education, and Stanford’s very popular d.School. As a result, we have a distinctly interdisciplinary approach to the study of global policy challenges and solutions.

Lastly, the IPS program includes a heavily subsidized spring break trip, a funded summer internship between the first and second years of the program, and a second-year practicum exercise where students provide real-world policy recommendations for clients like the World Bank, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the US Department of State, to name but a few. This past spring break, students traveled to India and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And last year, they met with Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar.

What skills do students obtain in your program?

The IPS curriculum provides students with rigorous preparation to address problems in diplomacy, governance, security, international economic policy, and related issues.

Our students tell us that they chose our program in order to get a firm grounding in analytical and quantitative skills. Core quantitative courses include calculus-based statistics, econometrics, international trade or international finance and microeconomics or cost-benefit analysis. Our student must also undertake a depth of study in one of the five areas of programmatic concentration, which include: Democracy and Development, Energy and Environment, Global Health, International Political Economy, and International Security and Cooperation.

IPS graduates leave the program with a range of skills including those in quantitative analysis, policy writing, decision-making, and negotiation. Additionally, since students are able to take classes in different departments and schools at Stanford, many also obtain skills in finance, computer science, and management, among other fields.

Who are leading faculty members in your program?

One of the biggest strengths of our program is our ability to draw on faculty not just from within our program, but from around Stanford. A student can study security and conflict with James Fearon in the Political Science Department or democratic development with Larry Diamond at the Hoover Institution, as well as Francis Fukuyama at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford. In addition, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice teaches in our program, as do two former US Ambassadors Michael McFaul and Karl Eikenberry (Russia and Afghanistan, respectively). In this way, we are able to combine theory and practice in our classes.

What makes the Ford Dorsey International Policy Studies Program (IPS) unique?

One thing that distinguishes IPS is that we are embedded in a great research university. We are a smaller program (25 students per year across two years), which helps create a strong sense of community and common purpose. At the same time, students are able to take full advantage of the wide range of classes across Stanford, in addition to completing IPS’s core curriculum.               

Another distinguishing feature is that we are not a big school. Our model is different from that of our competitors. We believe the best solutions to international policy problems should come from a range of perspectives and disciplines, rather than just the traditional disciplines of economics or political science. Our students can take classes almost anywhere at Stanford, including the Graduate School of Business, Stanford Law School, the School of Education, and Stanford’s very popular d.school. As a result, we have a distinctly interdisciplinary approach to the study of global policy challenges and solutions.

Finally, the IPS program includes a heavily subsidized spring break trip (in 2014 to Argentina with faculty leader Francis Fukuyama, and in 2015 to Myanmar with faculty leader James Fearon), a funded summer internship between the first and second years of the program, and a second-year practicum exercise where students provide real-world policy recommendations for clients like the World Bank, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the U.S. Department of State, to name but a few.

What skills do students obtain in your program?

The IPS curriculum provides students with rigorous preparation to address problems in diplomacy, governance, security, international economic policy, and related issues.

Our students tell us that they choose our program in order to get a firm grounding in analytical and quantitative skills. Core quantitative courses include calculus-based statistics, econometrics, international trade or international finance, and microeconomics or cost-benefit analysis. Our students must also take a gateway course in one of the five areas of programmatic concentration, which include Democracy and Development, Energy and the Environment, Global Health, International Political Economy, and International Security. IPS graduates leave the program with a range of skills including quantitative analysis, policy writing, negotiation, and public speaking. Additionally, because students are able to take classes in different departments and schools at Stanford, many also obtain skills in finance, computer science, and management, among others.

Who are leading faculty members in your program?

One of the big strengths of our program is our ability to draw on faculty not just from within our program, but from around Stanford as well. A student can study security and conflict with James Fearon in the Political Science Department, or democratic development with Larry Diamond at the Hoover Institution, as well as Francis Fukuyama at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford. In addition, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice teaches in our program, as do two former U.S. Ambassadors (to Russia and Afghanistan respectively), Michael McFaul and Karl Eikenberry. In this way, we are able to combine theory and practice in our classes.