This summer, the People in Government Lab – the Blavatnik School's global, interdisciplinary research centre focused on people and performance management – welcomed five students from the MPP class of 2019 as part of its inaugural Summer Fellows Programme. The programme seeks to nurture talent and create a network of emerging professionals, practitioners and scholars associated with the People in Government Lab.

This year's Fellows worked on a diverse range of projects:

• Alexandra Spicer, a former senior policy analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia, carried out a research project on applying behavioural science theory to improve the motivation of public sector employees. The project explored the intersection between innovation and motivation within a Brazilian public service agency focused on justice and law and order.
• Oksana Matiiash, a Ukrainian lawyer turned justice sector reformer, worked on the People in Government Voices project, garnering insights from public servants at various levels around the world to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on public management practices. She also worked on the PeopleGov Speaker Series to enhance policy engagement with the People in Government Lab.
• Teib Assaf, who has worked extensively on economic development and inclusion in the Middle East and North Africa, was a joint Fellow as part of a collaboration with the World Bank’s Bureaucracy Lab. Her project examined how COVID-19 has impacted human resource data management systems within public administrations in Europe and Central Asia.
• Yang Liu, a former customs officer with nine years’ experience in public administration and information management, worked on the People Management Research Insights project, using existing data from around the world to explore the relevance of placing people at the centre of public sector transformation. She also contributed to the People in Government Lab’s efforts to map centres working on people management issues across the globe.
• Juan Felipe Romero Sierra carried out an analysis of collaboration and coordination in the public sector, analysing existing data and literature, and sharing his insights on managing collaborations between the national government, indigenous communities and local government to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene during his time as a member of the cabinet of the Governor of La Guajira, Colombia.

The Summer Fellows Programme supports the People in Government Lab's work to improve the motivation, effectiveness and responsiveness of people working in government, and to enhance mutual learning between the public and private sector on best practice in the area of people and performance management.