The Women and Public Policy Program  works with faculty, students, government officials, influential media, corporate and military decision makers, and leaders of civil society to provide research, instruction, and training related to many of the most pressing issues of our time. WAPPP shapes the policy agenda in four focus areas:

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Gender in Decision Making and Negotiation

This initiative examines gender differences in decision making and negotiation and identifies skills that help people become better, more gender intelligent decision makers and negotiators, with the goal of creating a more level playing field where society and organizations can benefit from both women’s and men’s  talent, intellect and perspectives.

Gender and Policy

This initiative examines policies that help close the gender gaps in economic opportunity, political participation, education and health. The goal of this initiative is to build a world more equal in opportunity and to decrease poverty both in the United States as well as in developing countries.

Women and Politics

This initiative examines strategies and skills that enable women to participate and succeed in politics, with the goal of creating an environment where people have an equal chance to run for and hold public office, independent of their gender (or other aspects of their identity). The initial geographic focus of this initiative is the US.

From Harvard Square to the Oval Office is a non-partisan political training practicum that equips a select group of Harvard graduate students with the training and support they need to help them to ascend in the electoral process at the local, state and national levels. 

Gender and Security

This initiative examines strategies that help women participate in and influence peace building, with the goal of creating “inclusive security” where both genders are part of conflict prevention, resolution, reconciliation, and reconstruction and where both genders’ perspectives and concerns have equal weight in the peace building process. The geographical focus of this research is conflict and post-conflict areas of the world.

We thank the Women’s Leadership Board, the members of the Alliance and our individual donors for their inspiration and generous support of our work.

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