There are many pathways one can pursue in order to make a difference in the world. Why is the MPP Program at HKS an appropriate pathway to achieving your goals?
Through the Harvard Electricity Policy Group, Harvard Kennedy School professors are at the forefront of the latest thinking on electricity market design, which is increasingly important for investment decisions as more countries liberalize their electricity markets and open energy generation to competition. As an MPP student I will benefit from access to professors such as William Hogan, whose thinking on power markets has improved bidding structures and capital recovery mechanisms in electricity markets throughout the world. There are only two prevailing price-based market structures, one of which he helped establish: Prof. Hogan’s work on Texas energy markets, to which I was exposed in my work with XYZ Company, constitutes one of Harvard’s most compelling attractions for me.
The electric power industry is a key strategic sector for any country, and the industry is often burdened with layers of back-stop regulations and is supervised by numerous controlling agencies focusing on grid security, reliability, and cost efficiency. When investing in large-scale power generation facilities across the globe, I will be managing the varying dynamics between government bodies and the private sector, as well as the hierarchy of policies affecting the power sector. Harvard’s Business and Government
Policy concentration will prepare me to work in this space, by focusing on how governmental policies and private industry influence one another’s economic decisions.
Understanding how things work is not enough to create change. The hands-on component of the MPP Program through the Policy Analysis Exercise will equip me with the practical experience to drive policy change. When I visited the HKS campus and talked to current students, a common theme was their praise of the Policy Analysis Exercise program. I would like to use the opportunity this program offers, to work with a regional or international development bank to assess their frameworks for combining technical expertise and finance to help align investment in the electricity sector with sustainable development.
Public policy shapes the global energy industry at the deepest levels. The energy landscape of today is completely different from that of even a few years ago, because of public policy decisions that have supported cheaper natural gas, increased renewable penetration, and the control of greenhouse gas emissions. These fundamental market changes were born out of policy initiatives, including federal environmental regulations, incentives structures, and R&D grants. The Kennedy School’s MPP program is the perfect pathway to bring me to the forefront of the global energy industry, to become one of the leaders shaping the next revolution in power generation