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Home > Degree Programs > Office of Career Advancement > Students and Alumni > Summer Internships > MPA/ID Summer Internships
MPA/ID Summer Internships
Master in Public Administration/International Development (MPA/ID) students spend the summer between their first and second years working as interns on development projects, preferably in developing countries. These internships give MPA/ID students a practical opportunity to put the skills they have learned in their first year of studies to the test and give them additional real-world experience and guidance as they consider the coursework they will choose for their second year.
For employers, the MPA/ID internships offer an opportunity to develop relationships with students who are on their way to becoming policy makers and leaders in the field of international development. Whether the employers are multilateral organizations, central banks, government agencies, research institutes, or private corporations, they are working with students who have a valuable and varied set of skills. Potential employers should submit new internship opportunities through JACK, the HKS on-line career site.
Below is a sampling of MPA/ID summer internship placements.
Inter-Governmental Organizations
African Development Bank, Tunisia
Analyzed macroeconomic growth and dynamics in Africa; provided background content for presentations to be delivered by the Chief Economist.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Serbia
Served as lead analyst on the Bank's potential investment in a global currency fund; performed final analysis on a variety of transactions, including equity investments.
UN Development Program, Bangladesh
Assessed foreign aid portfolio and aid coordination implementation progress in Bangladesh; developed a case study on an urban poverty reduction project.
World Bank, Brazil
Evaluated the use of productive loans within the World Bank to promote microenterprise development in Brazil.
Non-Profit Sector
Center for Microfinance Research, ICICI Bank, India
Assisted in the implementation of the baseline surveys for two projects; performed qualitative interviews to determine the questions for the questionnaires; coordinated with the implementing agencies to help them randomize the rollout of the programs in order to isolate and identify their impacts.
Consejo Privado de Competitividad, Colombia
Provided policy analysis and recommendations on innovation for economic diversification and also on development of the financial sector in Colombia
Oxfam, Thailand
Conducted the initial “scoping” phase of WTO accession of Lao PDR for Oxfam’s East Asia Trade Campaign; analyzed and gathered information for an international workshop presented to the WTO.
Timap for Justice, Sierra Leone
Supervising, training, and working with paralegals in rural Sierra Leone; helping the organization prepare for World Bank monitoring and program evaluation.
Public Sector: Foreign National Government
Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunication, Albania
Advised the Ministry regarding the development of Water and Sanitation services in Albania to comply with EU norms; worked on issues pertaining to privatization of road sector in Albania.
Ministry of Finance, Liberia
Developed an automated template for multi-year revenues projection and trained technical staff in the use of the template; analyzed companies applying for tax exemptions and recommending what exemptions should, or should not, be given.
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Liberia
Developed the National Tuberculosis Strategy, leading to a $15m grant from the Global Fund for Tuberculosis and Malaria that will provide TB services for 5 years; establishing a multi-sector taskforce on health financing and writing an application for UNICEF to fund a community health survey.
National Treasury of the Republic of South Africa
Performed Fiscal Incidence Analysis and impact evaluation for government social security grants, specifically The Child Support Grant and the Old Age Social Pension.
Public Sector: U.S. Federal Government
U.S. Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC
Analyzed institutional performance in allocation of budget support; examined the US engagement strategy with China.
USAID, Washington, DC
Worked for USAID’s Global Development Alliance (GDA), a small office that specializes in public-private partnerships; met with companies such as Coca-Cola, Intel, and Wal-Mart to discuss sourcing goods from Africa in a sustainable manner.
Private Sector and Consulting
HBD Venture Capital, South Africa
Helped with the investment process; supported a loan program to disadvantaged communities; organized an educational entrepreneurship conference for would-be entrepreneurs.
Kotak Mahindra Bank, India
Evaluating, negotiating and structuring private equity investments into real estate projects in India.
Sitawi, Brazil
Provided advice and low cost capital to social enterprises in Brazil; re-designed the governance structure of a children’s charity in Rio de Janeiro; assisted in the development of overseas fundraising and local growth strategies.
Research Institutes
MIT Poverty Action Lab, Kenya
Implemented a randomized evaluation that tested the impact of different school-based HIV prevention programs on students’ HIV knowledge and sexual behavior.
TEPAV: Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey
Prepared a feasibility analysis for an industrial zone in Palestine; developed a strategy for Turkish firms to comply with a new EU chemical regulation.
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