About the role#
The Governance Studies program offers a 12-week internship for students interested in democratic resilience, anti-corruption, and security efforts. This role provides practical experience in a professional policy environment, allowing you to work alongside experts in government and academia. You will contribute to ongoing research initiatives while developing your own analytical and professional skills.
What you'll do#
- Conduct background research and fact-check articles, papers, and publications.
- Draft policy memos and fact sheets.
- Assist with data collection and entry.
- Format citations, edit documents, and provide general research support.
- Build annotated bibliographies.
- Compile bios and develop topic syntheses for stakeholder meetings.
- Develop questions for key informant interviews.
- Prepare meeting transcripts and readouts.
- Support social media efforts and event logistics.
What you'll need#
- Current undergraduate student in junior or senior year, or a recent graduate.
- Degree pursuit in public policy, political science, history, philosophy, pre-law, economics, or a related field.
- Demonstrated interest in democratic resilience, rule of law, anti-corruption, transparency, and accountability.
- Strong writing, analytical, and internet-based research skills.
- Experience with fact-checking, citations, and editing.
- Familiarity with data collection, Excel, or database management.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and work both independently and within a team.
- Strong attention to detail.
Location & details#
- Term: Winter 2027.
- Status: Full-time, minimum 32 hours per week.
- Modality: Hybrid or remote. Hybrid roles require at least three days per week in the Washington, DC office.
- Compensation: Paid at an hourly rate of $18.40.
- Location requirements: Must be located in the U.S. for the duration of the internship. This position cannot be performed from Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, or Washington.
About The Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, DC. Founded in 1916, the organization conducts research on public policy and governance. Its work spans local, national, and global levels. The institution employs between 201 and 500 people.
How to get in at The Brookings Institution
Applying early to The Brookings Institution gives you a distinct advantage because recruiters review initial submissions before the candidate pool becomes unmanageable. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published, helping you apply among the first. This timing often ensures your materials are seen while the team is still actively building their shortlist. Reaching out to the right person at The Brookings Institution is often more effective than submitting an application into a general queue. Intern Insider surfaces the recruiters behind the company roles so you can contact them directly to ask about the position or a referral. This direct approach often improves your response rates compared to standard application methods.
