Student Groups
The International Public Policy Group (IPPG)
- Information for Prospective Students with International Interests
- IPPG NewsFlashes!
- Guide to International Resources on Campus
Who We Are
The International Public Policy Group (IPPG) is a student-led group at the Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy that promotes education and dialogue about policy issues that cross borders. We believe that an understanding of international economic and political dynamics is essential to the education of all policy professionals in today’s world.
What We Do
The IPPG’s activities depend on student interests and initiatives, as well as institutional needs and opportunities, in any given year. Our activities fall into three general categories: event organizing, institutional development, and student support. We also do special projects outside of these areas.
Events
We host speakers and organize panels to discuss and debate international policy issues. These range from small, 25-person events in the GSPP Living Room to large campus-wide events (250 people or more). For a list of events we have organized and co-sponsored, click here
Institutional Development
We work in partnership with GSPP faculty and administration to expand the school’s coverage of international policy issues in its core curriculum and electives. We encouraged and achieved the hiring of a new faculty member with international expertise in 2003, and lobbied successfully for inclusion of international case studies/topics in core courses, which is one of the recommendations in the proposed long-range vision for strengthening GSPP’s international capacity. This report was endorsed by half the student body and can be obtained at here. We also helped develop a new course in International Economic Development Policy that is co-sponsored by GSPP that started in Fall 2001, and continues to be a core international elective offering of the school.
Student Support
We provide information about on-campus resources and opportunities to GSPP students with international interests. This includes information about internationally-oriented classes, professors and graduate student groups in other departments; funding opportunities and contacts for international internships; events and other items of interest.
For our Web Guide to International Resources on the UC Berkeley Campus, CLICK HERE.
For a list of Fall 2004 courses throughout the campus with an international focus, click here.
Special Projects
In 2000-2001, two IPPG members helped launch a new inter-departmental working group on Globalization, Sustainability, and the Role of Private Sector. The group is sponsored by the MacArthur Program on Multilateral Governance at the Institute of International Studies.
Join Us
Since IPPG was founded in the Fall of 1999, we have made good progress toward our goals of expanding the international resources available to GSPP students. But we need continuing, active involvement of GSPP students – and partnerships with other groups and departments on campus -- to keep up the momentum.
For GSPP students, involvement in IPPG is a great way to gain experience in the areas of organizational leadership, political strategy, institutional development, administration, PR/event organizing, and education. Our members’ skills, interests, and enthusiasm are making a noticeable impact at the school campus-wide.
For other student groups, research units and departments on campus, partnering with IPPG to organize events or other student for a can be a great way to take advantage of our organizing experience and network to reach a larger audience on campus.
Student groups with whom we have co-sponsored events and initiatives include:
- Students of Color in Public Policy (SCIPP), at the Goldman School of Public Policy.
- Net Impact, at the Haas School of Business.
- The Environmental Justice Forum, coordinated by students in the Energy and Resources Group.
- The Working Group on Globalization, Sustainability, and the Role of the Private Sector – Coordinated by IPPG students; sponsored by the MacArthur Program on Multilateral Governance at the Institute of International Studies. See above- mentioned web link.
GSPP’s own Executive and International Programs hosts an International Policy Speaker Seminar which brings various international policy speakers to the school each semester. See the GSPP Events Calendar for details and the EIP webpage.
