---

UPCOMING EVENTS

COVID-19: Policymaking in the Throes of a Global Crisis | Wednesday, September 23

An online seminar co-sponsored by the School of International and Public Affairs, the Earth Institute, and the Mailman School of Public Health. For more information on this online seminar series CLICK HERE. September 23rd seminar: “Healthy Buildings as Part of a Hierarchy of Controls for the Safe Return to Offices” – Joseph Allen, Associate Professor of Exposure Assessment Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. To join CLICK HERE (passcode: 228876)


The Challenges of Financing the Sustainable Development Goals
Speaker: Navid Hanif, Director, Financing for Sustainable Development Office, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)
Thursday, October 1, 2020 | 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

As the world economy teeters on the precipice and countries race to meet the vast financing needs for the COVID-19 response and recovery, challenges of financing sustainable development have been elevated to the top of the global policy agenda. Mobilizing financing – from public and private resources - to invest into a sustainable and resilient recovery has become a vital priority for countries and the international community alike. Our success in mobilizing financing for sustainable development and tackling associated challenges will make or break our efforts to build back better from the pandemic and achieve the SDGs by 2030. The webinar will explore these questions with an eye on the role of the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda as a roadmap for national and multilateral action to achieve the dual objective of advancing recovery efforts from COVID-19 and overcome persistent challenges to the financing of the SDGs. For more information and to register CLICK HERE
 

---

OCS EMPLOYER SESSIONS

SmartMoney | Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Zoom
SmartMoney is a Uganda-based fintech providing vital mobile-based digital banking services to unbanked rural African communities. American Founder and CEO, Michael Spencer, will share his 10 year journey from Wall Street to rural Africa, highlighting the many surprises, failures, discoveries and solutions that have resulted in the world’s first proven business model for banking rural communities. The SmartMoney story is a deep dive into the exciting intersection between fintech and financial inclusion that is sure to entertain, inform and inspire. Michael will discuss opportunities for students to contribute to SmartMoney’s exciting road ahead. SIPA alum, Sam Moser, will share about his recent internship experience with SmartMoney. 
Intro video | USAID-produced animated explainer | Pitch deck
For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

PMF 2021 Application Informational Webinars - diversity and inclusion focus | Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Work Authorization Requirement: U.S. Citizens
During the month of September 2020, the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program will be hosting an informational webinar every Tuesday for potential applicants of the upcoming PMF Class of 2021 Application. The PMF Class of 2021 Application is scheduled to open at Noon (ET), Wednesday, September 30, 2020, and close at Noon (ET), Wednesday, October 14, 2020. The informational webinars will provide a general overview of the PMF Program, details about the 2021 application cycle, and, if time permits, allow for any questions. Please note that several of the webinars have a specific focus related to strategic recruitment goals, but all will cover the basics of the program, the 2021 application cycle, and are open to all majors. The webinars will NOT be recorded or published. The PMF Program is a highly selective, 2-Year fellowship and leadership development program that recruits recent and soon-to-be graduates with advanced degrees. It is the Federal Government’s flagship leadership development program and is an excellent way for students with management potential and public service motivation to start a career in the Federal Government and be developed into tomorrow’s leaders. Should you have any questions regarding the webinars or how to connect with a PMF Ambassador please let us know how we can help by sending us an email at pmfapplication@opm.gov. For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | Wednesday, September 23, 2020 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Where: Zoom

UNDP works in more than 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results. This information session will offer information to prospective candidates on application procedures, UNDP as a workplace, as well as the variety of jobs available now and in the future. For more information and to register CLICK HERE.
 

Synpulse Management Consulting | Thursday, September 24, 2020 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Zoom
Join us for the Synpulse Management Consulting corporate presentation. Learn more about our global consulting practice, ask our consultants about their project experiences, and discover what Synpulse can offer you as a new joiner! Synpulse is a multinational, boutique management consulting firm with a fast-growing US business and branches in Switzerland, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. We focus exclusively on financial service companies and count many of the top Banking and Re/Insurance firms as our valued customers. Synpulse’s unique culture, highly talented team, and global reach are a winning combination. We understand our clients’ strategy, refine and translate it into a value-creating reality. Our expertise covers the spectrum from business strategy to technical implementation. We work in a dynamic and entrepreneurial atmosphere where every employee is recognized for his or her contribution. By encouraging our teammates to step out of their comfort zone, we further crystallize the proactive and collaborative culture we pride ourselves on. For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

Macro Advisory Partners | Friday, September 25, 2020 | 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM | Zoom | Work Authorization Requirement: U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident
Macro Advisory Partners (MAP) is a global advisory firm, providing leading investors, corporations, and governments with the strategic insights required to navigate the intersection of global markets, geopolitics and government policy in a volatile and complex world. We provide our clients with a competitive advantage in a global decision-making context increasingly defined by macro factors. Each sphere of our practice informs the others, leveraging the skills and networks of the partners to reduce risks and enhance our clients’ performance. MAP’s partners draw on the firm’s Global Advisory Board and a network of senior professionals with backgrounds in diplomacy, intelligence, finance, academia and industry to provide clients with geopolitical risk, investment strategy and macro intelligence counsel. For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

Altai Consulting | Friday, September 25, 2020 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Zoom
Altai Consulting provides strategy consulting, research and monitoring & evaluation services in the developing world. Our consultants are split into two business practices: Public Policy - We deliver sound evidence-based research and technical assistance to aid & development actors and governments in fragile states. Management Consulting - We provide companies operating in emerging markets with services in strategy consulting, corporate finance and market entry. For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

Mt. Auburn Associates | Friday, September 25, 2020 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Zoom | Work Authorization Requirement: U.S. Citizens
Mt. Auburn Associates is a state-certified woman-owned firm, with more than 30 years of experience in economic development, workforce development, and community revitalization in low-income communities. We offer a continuum of services in strategic planning, initiative design, technical assistance, emergent learning, with a primary focus on the design and implementation of evaluations in a wide range of policy areas. The firm also is recognized for its work in the creative economy, completing strategic plans for building a community's creative assets in states and cities across the United States for the past 20 years. For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

Dexis Consulting Group | Friday, September 25, 2020 | 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Zoom
Dexis Consulting Group, founded in 2001, advances security and prosperity through gold-standard management and technical services. We work with organizations that promote stability, resilience, and prosperity through social and peacekeeping programs across multiple sectors serving primarily USAID, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

NERA Economic Consulting | Friday, September 25, 2020 | 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Zoom | Work Authorization Requirement: U.S. Citizenship or U.S. Permanent Residency
NERA Economic Consulting is a global firm of experts dedicated to applying economic, finance, and quantitative principles to complex business and legal challenges. For half a century, NERA’s economists have been creating strategies, studies, reports, expert testimony, and policy recommendations for government authorities and the world’s leading law firms and corporations. We bring academic rigor, objectivity, and real-world industry experience to bear on issues arising from competition, regulation, public policy, strategy, finance, and litigation. For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) | Friday September 25, 2020 |1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Zoom
Ready to take on a new career in transit? Metro is the “Employer of Choice” in the region for people that are passionate about mobility, business development, regional connectivity and tourism. We operate rail, bus, and paratransit services in a 1,500-square mile area that includes the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. As the second busiest Metrorail system in the U.S. operating on 119 miles in the nation’s capital, we seek innovators ready to help us take on the challenges our system faces. For more information and to register CLICK HERE.
 

---

JOBS, INTERNSHIPS AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

Check out this week's OCS New Job and Internship Opportunities (CLICK HERE) and Upcoming Deadlines for Jobs and Internship Application (CLICK HERE)

This weeks's new opportunities are from organizations such as the U.S. House of Representatives, Carbon Trust, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Grameen Foundation, McKinsey & Company, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, U.S. Department of the Treasury, UN Women, USAID/Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), Asian Development Bank (ADB), and more.

While deadlines are approaching for various opportunities with organizations such as Institute of Current World Affairs, ACLU – NY, Center on Poverty & Social Policy, Columbia University, Human Rights First. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), The International Rescue Committee (IRC), KPMG LLP, The Center on Policy Initiative, The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Twitter, Inc., United Nations (UN), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CNBC, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and more.


COLUMBIA GLOBAL CENTERS - VIRTUAL GLOBAL INTERNSHIPS

Columbia Global Centers around the world have identified hundreds of virtual internships throughout their partner networks. Despite travel restrictions, students can still find a rewarding opportunity as a global intern doing important work. Virtual internships are meaningful experiences for students to support a variety of projects at organizations (businesses, NGOs, universities, research centers, etc.) across the globe, directly from their home.
CLICK HERE for a list of opportunities and CLICK HERE to apply.


The D-Prize Global Competition 
D-Prize challenges bold new leaders to tackle distribution problems impeding development in countries where extreme poverty exists. We award teams with grants of up to $20,000 to launch new organizations, solve distribution bottlenecks, and change millions of lives. Many of the 160+ winning teams have been students eager to make a massive positive impact on the world. You don’t have to think of yourself as an entrepreneur to apply to D-Prize. We fund problem solvers who are at the idea stage. Students passionate about social entrepreneurship, global health, education, agriculture, renewable energy, poverty alleviation, or last mile distribution can learn more about D-Prize, the Global Competition, and the application at d-prize.org.

 

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Planning Department Mentorship Program 2020-21

This is a pilot initiative intended to provide professional feedback to a small number of graduate students in transportation policy, planning, economics, or related fields as they pursue independent projects. Students develop their own concepts for independent projects relating to transportation in advance of applying to the program. Students need to be self-directed and rely on their own data and computing resources. Projects can involve research for a thesis or other independent project, planning, design, community outreach, or analysis for a community or non-profit group. For more information on the program and instruction on how to apply CLICK HERE.


EPD Recruitment Orientation (Session's Recording and Slides)
If you missed last week's EPD Recruitment Orientation Session organised by the Office of Career Service (OCS), we got you covered! CLICK HERE to access the presentation slides, and CLICK HERE to watch the recording of the event.


SIPA Career Website & Resources
We would like to highlight a great career development resources for students that can be found on SIPA Career Resources Website.

Check out the factsheets on Career Development for tips for international students and on connecting with alumni, interviewing, networking, PMF information, writing resumes and cover letters and other career development topics.

Browse the Career Overview Factsheet for information, sample employers, and online resources for a variety of fields and industries

Flip through the Sector-Specific Fact Sheets to Get access to lists of employers by industry or field, organizational charts, and information on IFC and World Bank internship programs and YPPs.

Check out other resources in the website to get access to general career fact sheets, career overviews, PMF information, lists of employers by sector, tips for international students, and sample resumes and cover letters, as well as online databases, paid subscriptions, and the OCS Weekly News e-newsletter.

---

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: PROF. RUMELA SEN
Can you tell us about the course you are teaching this fall and what you plan to teach in the spring?
I’m teaching Politics of Policymaking (PoP) in developing countries this Fall. This course is designed to cover the conceptual foundation of as well as the policy tools that public policy professionals would need. As part of the course, I’m doing memo writing and op-ed workshops in class as well to give students some hands on practice before they do their assignments. In the recitations, the TAs will use case study approach to give students a chance to demonstrate their ability to apply theoretical concepts to real world problems, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice. For example, on the week of September 21 we’ll learn about evidence-based policy making and the policy tool of the week is randomized control trials (RCTs). In the recitation, students will discuss the application of RCTs in evidence generation in two different cases, one in the case of pollution control reform in India and the other in the case of enforcing payments for water and sanitation services in Nairobi. I have a fabulous teaching team, and I have worked with the TAs to facilitate as spontaneous case discussions as possible, while also ensuring that the learning outcome of the week (ethical debates around RCTs) are not lost. I think such active learning is particularly suited to SIPA students who bring their diverse experience and expertise to the classroom. The idea is to encourage them to learn not only from the readings I have in syllabus, but also from each other. I’m excited about teaching this course during my first semester at SIPA. 

In Spring I plan to teach two courses. One course, tentatively titled Persistent Problems in the Global South: Making Politics and Policies Work, will focus on one policy challenge every week, specifically in developing countries. We will discuss policy challenges around issues like food insecurity, public health, gender inequality, ethnic diversity, populism, corruption, social unrest and so on. The readings will include both theoretical literature on the topics as well as case studies illustrating the policy challenges and proposed solutions on the problem in question. 
The other I’m excited to offer next semester will be called State-Building in South Asia: Institutions, Identities, and Interests. This course will draw on my regional expertise in South Asia. In this course we will look at the South Asian experience to address some central puzzles of our times. For example, how do “weak” states promote audacious reform? What role does civil society play in a democracy? When can states deliver on the promise of inclusive growth? Why did different South Asian countries, emerging from the same colonial experience, follow very different political trajectories? 

Can you share any current research that you are working on right now that might be of interest to students?

The last few months have been really challenging in terms of research productivity, particularly because my research is fieldwork heavy. I had done some fieldwork in Nepal in 2018-2019 that I wanted to follow up this Summer, but I had to cancel my plans. But on the positive side, my first book is coming out from Oxford University Press (Modern South Asia Series) around January 2020. It is titled Farewell to Arms: How Rebels Retire without Getting Killed. The manuscript is now in copy-editing/indexing stage, and I’m now busy with responding to queries and checking proofs. The book shows how rebels quit extremist organizations. It is based on interviews with current and former Maoist rebels, various government actors as well as ordinary citizens in the two conflict zones in North and South India. The book offers a critique of surrender and rehabilitation programs that assume that lucrative offers of job and cash can lure rebels away from extremism. So students interested in understanding conflict zones, postconflict reconstruction and grassroots peace building would find it useful to see a critique of existing policies from the rebels’ perspective. The book also shows how factors like local cleavages, land relations, and grassroots civic associations play important roles in the process of rebel democratic transition. That will be of interest to students focusing on economic and political development issues in developing countries. 

Are there any fun facts or any other information that you'd like to us to include?
I recently consulted with John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight for his episode on India. I worked out of their NY office, met the team, and was in the studio during the shoot. I have a small John Oliver figurine in my office to remind me of my coolest experience. 
 

---

STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS
Sameeksha Khare is a second-year MPA EPD student, specializing in TMaC. Prior to SIPA, she was a journalist in India. From covering politics to reporting on public health, she transitioned from being a cub reporter to a Senior Correspondent over three years. She joined SIPA to further her interest in the field of public health and gender. Over the summer, Sameeksha got the opportunity to write an article published in the Women's Media Center on the menstrual hygiene crisis in Europe's largest refugee camp. Her work as a Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant with The Azadi Project, a non-profit organization, led her to highlight the dire situation faced by refugee women, especially during a pandemic. Simultaneously, to gain further experience in the field of public health, she did a summer internship with CMMB, a New-York based non-profit working in Haiti, Kenya, Peru, South Sudan and Zambia. She's a policy student with work experience as a journalist and an undergraduate degree in Computer Science. This mix of interests may or may not speak to her state of grad school confusion. If you want to talk business (read: food), she's happy to share her recommendations for the best Thai take-outs, best NYC pizza and best reading corners in Central Park!

Shefali Sharma is a first-year MPA student concentrating in EPD and specializing in Management. After graduating from Delhi University with a bachelor's degree in Economics, she worked with Bain and Company, focusing mainly on global healthcare projects across the Americas and the Asia Pacific regions. At Bain, she also worked on several pro-bono projects and thereby, made a switch to work as a Strategy Manager with Teach For India. The thousands of children reached by Teach For India, with their sheer courage and enthusiasm, have inspired her in so many ways in her journey. Shefali's interests include impact investing, consulting, development policy, and cross-sector collaborations. At SIPA, she hopes to develop a deeper perspective of policy issues relating to healthcare and education, particularly in developing countries. She's fascinated by the crucial role the private sector can play in scaling up impact and aims to dig deeper into the topic. Born in Northern India, Shefali spent the majority of her life in the cities of New Delhi and Mumbai. She loves the hills and is always up for treks or anything adventurous, or just sitting at the top of a hill, sipping tea. She's always up for exploring new places to eat and watching horror movies- appreciate any recommendations as well as company, once circumstances allow!

(Reach out to us if you'd like to be featured in the next newsletter!)

---

PICK OF THE WEEK

This week's featured movie: The Man Who Knew Infinity

The Man Who Knew Infinity is a 2015 British biographical drama film about the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. In the 1910s, Ramanujan is a man of boundless intelligence that even the abject poverty of his home in Madras, India, cannot crush. He attracted the attention of the noted British mathematics professor, G.H. Hardy, who invites him to further develop his computations at Trinity College at Cambridge. Forced to leave his young wife, Janaki, behind, Ramanujan finds himself in a land where both his largely intuitive mathematical theories and his cultural values run headlong into both the stringent academic requirements of his school and mentor and the prejudiced realities of a Britain heading into World War One.

Watch the trailer HERE, Rent the movie HERE

This week's featured book: Development as Freedom (Amartya Sen)

By the winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Economics, an essential and paradigm-altering framework for understanding economic development--for both rich and poor--in the twenty-first century. Freedom, Sen argues, is both the end and most efficient means of sustaining economic life and the key to securing the general welfare of the world's entire population. Releasing the idea of individual freedom from association with any particular historical, intellectual, political, or religious tradition, Sen clearly demonstrates its current applicability and possibilities. In the new global economy, where the contemporary world denies elementary freedoms to vast numbers of people, he concludes, it is still possible to practically and optimistically retain a sense of social accountabilityDevelopment as Freedom is essential reading.

Available at Columbia Libraries HERE
 

(We would love to hear your recommendations! Let us know what you have watched/read/listened to recently so we can feature them in the next newsletter!)

---

EPD OFFICE HOURS

José Antonio Ocampo, EPD Co-Director
Sign up online: https://tinyurl.com/officehours-ocampo

Jenny McGill, EPD Co-Director and Workshop Director
Sign up online: https://tinyurl.com/mcgill-oh

Ilona Vinklerova, EPD Manager
Sign up online: https://sipa.campusgroups.com/meetings/1060915/IlonaOfficeHours

Séléna Batchily, EPD Program Assitant
Every Tuesday | 10:30-12pm | For Zoom link click HERE

Saiful Salihudin, EPD Program Assitant
Every Thursday | 2:00-3:30pm | For Zoom link click HERE