International Affairs Research Internship - Cato Institute
*To be considered for an internship, you must apply directly through our online application here.*
Cato’s paid internships are for undergraduates, recent graduates, graduate students, law students, and early-career professionals who have a strong commitment to individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace—principles that, taken together, constitute libertarianism, known alternately as “classical liberalism,” “market liberalism,” or, to many of our international friends, just “liberalism.”
Cato scholars seek to promote a better understanding around the world of the benefits of market‐ liberal policies and institutions, openness and engagement in the global economy, and a principled and restrained foreign policy. Those benefits include notable improvements in human well‐being as countries increase their levels of economic, civil, and personal freedoms. The United States should thus engage the world, trade freely, and work with other countries on common concerns, but avoid trying to dominate the globe militarily.
Center for Global Liberty & Prosperity – Islamic Studies
Participate in a unique project at the Cato Institute: the study, articulation, and advancement of human liberty in Islamic thought and contemporary Muslim societies. You will work with senior fellow Mustafa Akyol, one of the “top 50 thinkers in the world,” in connecting ancient religious texts to contemporary affairs, focusing on key discussions about freedom of speech, religion, women, or minorities in today’s Islamic world.
Workload
- Conduct literature reviews on certain academic or classical texts on the intersection of Islam and freedom
- Assist in writing and editing for books, blogs, and op‐eds
- Research and outreach for news publications on contemporary issues in Islam or the politics of the Muslim world
- Organize policy forums and conferences for the department
Qualifications
- Interest in religion, in particular Islam, and the theological or legal discussions in the religious tradition that relate to human liberty, human rights, and rationality
- Strong research, writing, and editing skills
- Familiarity with the politics and culture of Muslim‐majority societies or Muslim minorities in the West
Center for Global Liberty & Prosperity – Latin America
Interns working on Latin America will prepare daily reports on relevant issues that appear in the region’s press, research economic and personal freedom indicators in the region, help department scholars prepare papers and op‐eds for publication in the United States and Latin America, occasionally prepare translations into Spanish for Cato’s Spanish‐language website, elcato.org, and otherwise support the work of Center scholars who focus on Latin America.
Workload
- Provide supporting research and fact‐finding for scholars’ op‐eds, blog posts, etc.
- Update scholars daily on major global news, specifically on Latin America
- Find, gather, and research data on various economic and social indicators
- Collaborate with El Cato’s social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram)
- Occasionally attend events and forums relevant to the scholars’ projects
Qualifications
- Dedicated interest in development policy
- Strong research and writing skills
- Spanish fluency a plus
- Proficiency in Excel
- Proficiency in R, Python, Stata, or any other statistical or programming software is a plus
- Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and video is a plus
- Graphic design skills are a plus
Center for Trade Policy Studies
As a Cato trade intern, you will help conduct primary research on U.S. and global trade law and economics, provide initial drafts of speeches and articles, and create data visualizations to convey important policy arguments. Working closely with Cato trade scholars, you will learn about trade policy and politics from one of the preeminent trade groups in Washington.
Workload
- Stay on top of the trade policy developments and write summaries and opinions of those developments
- Gather information from executive agency and legislative committee hearings, as well as conferences and other events hosted by think tanks, business associations, and other interest groups
- Collect and analyze data from official sources, such as the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Census Bureau, Federal Reserve, Bureau of Labor Statistics, etc. to buttress arguments for free trade and free markets
- Support the work of Cato trade policy scholars by conducting background research, compiling data, and generating tables, charts, outlines, and summaries of articles and papers
Qualifications
- Strong interest in supporting efforts to educate the public and policymakers about the benefits of free trade and the costs of protectionism
- General familiarity within U.S. trade policy, global trade institutions, and the major trade policy issues of the day
- Ability to multitask effectively and efficiently and to balance short‐term and longer‐term objectives
- Capacity to think and work independently on projects without requiring too much oversight or frequent guidance
- Understanding of where to find relevant data and how to use statistics and charts to reinforce policy arguments and positions
Defense & Foreign Policy Studies
Cato Defense and Foreign Policy (DFP) interns conduct a variety of research assistance tasks, including writing research briefs and memos, conducting literature reviews to help policy staff better understand broad topics, and helping to edit work. DFP interns attend both internal and external events, learn about a wide range of foreign policy and defense topics, and provide programmatic support. Individuals with a passion for advancing a grand strategy of restraint are especially encouraged to apply.
Workload
- Research projects on a wide range of foreign policy topics—from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and all points in between—as well as defense, homeland security, and counterterrorism
- Attend Hill briefings and panels at other think tanks
- Compile foreign and defense policy news articles and op‐eds
Qualifications
- Strong research and writing skills
- Dedicated interest in foreign and defense policy
- Background in computational social science or computer science (especially fluency in R and Python) a plus but not required
- Graduate students (in political science, international relations, or history) preferred or undergraduates with a solid foundation in international relations or international history
The news is filled with doom and gloom, and many people think that the world is getting worse. But is that really true? In fact, empirical evidence suggests that the world is getting better on most dimensions. If you are interested in trendlines, rather than headlines, then Human Progress is for you.
Workload
- Track down and work with data on human progress, ranging from expanded access to clean drinking water to advances in space exploration
- Edit scholarly papers, journalistic articles, and blog posts
- Create social media content and engaging graphics
Qualifications
- Interest in international development and technological advancement
- Proficiency in Excel and passion for data
- Sharp editing skills and attention to detail
- Creativity and proficiency in Photoshop a plus
Most Americans are immigrants or descended from immigrants who sought opportunity and freedom on our shores. They and their children worked hard, assimilated, and added to our nation’s prosperity. As a Cato immigration intern, you will assist with research and analysis on important aspects of U.S. immigration law and its effects. You will work directly with Cato’s immigration policy experts Alex Nowrasteh and David Bier in producing reports on the U.S. immigration system.
Workload
- Help with original statistical research projects on immigration
- Gather data about immigrants, the U.S. economy, immigration laws, and other related social science indicators
- Perform frequent fact‐finding missions to support scholars’ op‐eds, studies, and blog posts
- Read and summarize books or articles
Qualifications
- Strong statistics background
- Strong research and writing skills
- Proficiency in Excel spreadsheets
- STATA knowledge a huge plus
All Cato interns attend the same intensive seminar series, which covers a broad range of history, philosophy, policy, and professional development topics. Interns also aid with events and occasionally help Cato staff with other day-to-day needs.
Interns receive competitive compensation. Part-time positions are adjusted accordingly and carry a minimum of 25 hrs./wk. Program participants must be available in-person in Washington, D.C.
For more information about the internship program and experience, we encourage you to explore our website.
If you have any questions, feel free to email Cortez Bartolome, Programs Coordinator, at studentprograms@cato.org