Watson Institute for International Studies

Poverty and inequality. Natural disasters and ethnic conflict. Rapid urbanization and climate change. Globalized labor standards and cyber threats. Our increasingly interconnected 21st-century world is rife with challenges that affect us all. Crafting solutions to those problems requires rigorous research, real-world experience, and creative thinking.

The Watson Institute is a community of scholars, practitioners, and students whose work aims to help us understand and address these critical challenges. It is dedicated to meaningful social science research and teaching, and animated by the conviction that informed policy can change systems and societies for the better.