Introduction to Public Policy

Improving well-being in your community or beyond starts with data. This program bridges the gap between grand ideas and measurable impact. You will gain a sophisticated toolkit, consisting of everything from monetary incentives to behavioral "nudges", in order to understand how public policy shapes human behavior.

Through hands-on applications and data analysis-centered Action Labs, your capabilities evolve from mere observer into policy advocate. You will learn to define, measure, evaluate, and argue for policies that matter to you. By the end of the program, you will have the confidence to use economic concepts and rigorous data analysis to champion targeted, impactful policy solutions.  

The program culminates with a Capstone project that puts you in the policymaker role, analyzing real-world data to make evidence-based policy recommendations that will be written into a memo and presented to your peers. The Capstone project provides you with a valuable artifact that can be used for college admissions applications.

• Available for current high school students who are at least 15 years old
• This program is for high school students passionate about societal change, public policy, data analysis, and making a difference in the world. No prior experience in policy studies or economics is required—just a desire to learn and make an impact.
• The program's medium of instruction will be in English, so applicants should be comfortable in an English-speaking learning environment
• Applicants must be Hong Kong residents or be eligible to study in Hong Kong during the program period. Guidance will be provided to accepted applicants who need to obtain a student visa

Classes will be held Monday through Friday from 9:30 to 12:15 and the Action Lab will be held from 13:15 to 14:30. While each day varies slightly in format, a typical day includes:

• 9:30 to 10:45 – Lecture
• 10:45 to 11:00 – Mid-morning break
• 11:00 to 12:15 – Lecture
• 12:15 to 13:15 – Lunch
• 13:15 to 14:30 – Action Lab
• 14:30 to 16:00 – Campus available for optional group or individual work

Special events, excursions and guest speakers will be integrated throughout the program to provide additional real-world perspectives. The program concludes with individual and group presentations during the final two days.

Morning lectures will introduce participants to what a policy maker does and how to create impact. The program  will introduce the basic process of policy making and policy evaluation. Week 1 will lay the foundation for the policy making process, and Weeks 2 & 3 build on the foundation to incorporate research design and data analytics for studying public policy problems through data. Case studies will be utilized throughout to see the policy making process in action.

Topics to be covered include:

The process for developing the policy project
Evidence in the policy making process
Types of policies and implementation tools
Conditional and unconditional policies
Labor market and human capital policies
From evidence to action – scaling up a policy
Introduction to policy evaluation
Market failure & cost benefit
Equity or efficiency
Elasticity and trade-offs
Ethics of behavioral tools
A policy interview – developing a narrative

Afternoon Action Labs will introduce R programming as a tool for quantitative analysis. Participants will be introduced to causal inference, and why establishing causation through rigorous analysis is critical for recommending and defending policy solutions. During Week 3 Action Labs will be focused on supporting participants in their Capstone projects and preparing presentations.

Topic to be covered include:

Sampling strategies
Probability
Modeling the analysis
Nuances in data analysis on the road to causality: nonlinearity, sample statistics, correlation
Types of variables
Ethics of data collection and analysis  
Analysis of variance
Writing a research brief and a policy brief
Data visualization
AI and other data tools

For each of our Summer Academy programs, participants will also have the opportunity to attend sessions led by a UChicago admissions counselor to better understand the highly selective admissions process used by U.S. colleges and universities. Such sessions will give participants a window into the role that essays play in the application and how an application is holistically reviewed for admission.

Dr. Rohen Shah is a Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Yale University and an Executive Education Instructor at UChicago Harris. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago, where he specialized in behavioral economics. His research uses RCTs to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions. Before graduate school, Rohen co-founded the Ed Tech company DiagKNOWstics Learning. His other prior experiences include managing a state-wide tutoring company in Michigan, teaching high school math in Detroit, and making educational music videos through the non-profit SKULE.org.

The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy has a long tradition of convening students, scholars, and government and civic leaders from around the world to tackle society’s most pressing challenges. Rooted in a commitment to rigorous inquiry, we foster collaboration across sectors, generate data-driven insights, and facilitate analytical approaches to enhance public policy and governance.

Ranked #3 in Public Policy Analysis in the United States, UChicago Harris is at the forefront of shaping future leaders in public policy.

• Early Bird Application Deadline: February 28, 2026
• Regular Application Deadline: April 15, 2026

1. Latest school transcript
2. Applicant's statement of purpose (300 words max) 
3. Resume with a list of extracurricular activities and personal achievements
4. [Optional] English Proficiency Scores

- Submit your application here

- Parents/Guardians are required to complete the Parent/Guardian Confirmation Form

• Program fee includes the course fee, use of the UChicago Campus in Hong Kong facilities, one meal and refreshments during on-campus days, excursion expenses, and shuttle buses to and from campus and Kennedy Town MTR Station. Program Fees are non-refundable once paid unless the program is canceled by the UChicago campus in Hong Kong.