With the start of the summer, our students embark on the final part of the MPP programme: the Summer Project, a work placement at an organisation engaged with an aspect of public policy work – this can range from government departments, not-for-profits and think tanks, to academic research centres and private sector businesses that have a policy unit.

This year’s students are spread across the globe, from London to Tokyo, and from Washington DC to Buenos Aires, in a whole host of private and public sector institutions. Of this year’s 117 MPP students, 12 are spending their summer project within the UK Cabinet Office, others will be working with the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, McKinsey, Chatham House, and a variety of national governments including Singapore, Germany and India. the infographic below shows their destinations on a map.

For the first time, we have students undertaking placements with the Institute of Regional and International Studies in Iraq, with Maria Eitel (founder and chair of The Girl Effect and the Nike Foundation), and at Google.

The Summer Project provides students with an opportunity to utilise the skills that they’ve learnt throughout the course, and apply them in the real world. Some have taken the decision to undertake a placement in a new policy environment, while others are choosing to deepen their knowledge of a specific field.

Dinesh Kapur, who is travelling to Brussels to work with Google, stated: "Over the last nine months we've engaged in lively debates on a wide range of topics including free speech, the morality of big data, and role of big corporations in society. During the Summer Project I get the opportunity to see how a large company responds to these moral and policy conflicts, which is a great opportunity to experience differences between theory and practice. I can also apply my professional skills to delivering analysis that will help inform the company's responses in the future."

Among the numerous projects, two students will be taking up positions in Oxford at the newly formed Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab), a collaboration between the UK Cabinet Office and the School. One student will be developing case studies focused on existing social impact bonds, working with youth who are at risk of becoming “not in education, employment or training” (NEET); the other will be reviewing interventions of addiction with the Life Chances Fund.

Lindsay Lee, who will be working on statistical analysis with the Blindness and Deafness Prevention, Disability and Rehabilitation Unit at the World Health Organization in Geneva (again, a first for the Summer Project), said: “I'm looking forward to being able to apply my variety of interests into one project that has real-world significance. This project combines my statistics and policy backgrounds with my passion for disability issues. The MPP summer project is essential for students like me to get this sort of practical experience, and gives us the freedom to find projects that are unique and meaningful.”

At the end of the Summer Project, students are required to submit a report that includes an analysis of a policy issue which they’ve encountered, as well as a reflective essay about the placement. We look forward to sharing our student’s placement experiences in the coming weeks.