Network for Effective Evidence-Based Development

We help public policy master's students access impactful opportunities in evidence-based development.

Welcome to NEED!

The Network for Effective Evidence-based Development (NEED) is an informal, student-led initiative connecting future development professionals across U.S. policy schools around a shared commitment to effectiveness and evidence in global development. We aim to provide master's students with the resources they need to find impactful opportunities in their field. We also want to to build a supportive community and offer high-value programming that complements what schools already offer, without overloading busy students.

NEED believes that the collective scale of our student cohorts is a powerful asset for addressing key challenges faced by students entering the development sector—especially in recruitment, community-building, and learning. You can learn more about how we approach these challenges on the Our Activities page.

We will be making an exciting announcement soon regarding a private philanthropic grant to support our activities, but must wait until the disbursement is complete, for legal reasons.

Below are the main categories of our programmatic offerings. The exact details may evolve over time—we’re eager to hear what interests you and experiment to see what works best!

HIPPO Newsletter

Our colleague Sam Anschell, an MPA '27 at Princeton and Open Philanthropy employee, is launching the High Impact Public Policy Opportunities (HIPPO) email newsletter.

Sam will collate opportunities and resources for students interested in open roles and professional development to use their careers to effectively improve global wellbeing across a variety of cause areas.

Recruitment

NEED supports students in the job-hunting process by introducing them to highly effective organizations. In a time of funding cuts and challenges to maintaining sector-wide solidarity, we all need a little extra help.

Community

We share a common interest in impactful dev work—and many of us will one day become colleagues or collaborators. NEED helps bridge institutional gaps by fostering community-building across schools.

Learning

By hosting talks with superstar practitioners, topic-based discussion groups, and an informational hub for advice on effective capstones/theses, NEED complements existing resources provided by policy schools.

Learn More About NEED Programming

Initial Student Cohort

We expect our list of target institutions to grow in coming years! See the FAQ for more info.

Columbia University
Duke University
Georgetown University
Harvard University

Princeton University
University of California, Berkeley
University of Chicago
Yale University

Feedback For Us?

All of our ideas have come from students like you. We’d love to hear your suggestions for programming we could host—or even support you in launching yourself!

We want NEED to be a demand-driven org. If our planned initiatives could be improved or haven’t yet added value for you, please let us know.

Get Involved With NEED

Learn More

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