Mission of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston

The Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston strives to improve the governance of Greater Boston by strengthening connections between the region’s scholars, students, and civic leaders. A university-wide entity housed at the Kennedy School of Government, the Institute pursues this mission by:

Encouraging Public Service: The Institute encourages graduate and professional students to spend at least part of their professional careers in state or local government in Greater Boston. The primary means for doing so is the Rappaport Summer Public Policy Fellows Program, which provides 12 graduate students from local universities with paid 10-week public-sector internships in Greater Boston. The Institute also supports courses and the development of teaching materials about issues of importance to Greater Boston.

Producing New Ideas The Institute encourages faculty and students to conduct high quality, policy-relevant research into issues of importance for Greater Boston. To do so, it provides seed and start-up funding for new projects, helps identify other funding sources for that research, helps scholars connect with local officials and leaders who can help scholars with their projects, and works with scholars to disseminate their findings to practitioners in timely and accessible ways.

Stimulating Informed Discussion The Institute sponsors public events where scholars, policymakers, and civic leaders discuss key issues, organizes training programs for local officials, maintains an online database on scholarly research about the region, and produces publications that summarize new scholarly research in timely and accessible ways. Members of the Institute’s staff also serve on civic advisory committees, help local officials and civic leaders access scholarly expertise, and work with the media to improve coverage of key issues. The Institute also houses the Rappaport-Boston Urban Fellows program, which since 1981 has provided local elected and appointed officials with scholarships to the Kennedy School ’s mid-career master’s degree program.