Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator

The Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator, at Vanderbilt University, focuses on cutting-edge topics in political economy and regulation to swiftly bring research, education, and policy proposals from infancy to maturity. Across our three verticals—the Project on Networks, Platforms, & Utilities, the Project on Industrial Policy and Economic Security, and the Project on Public Options and Governance—we engage in innovative research and policy development to help policymakers govern critical sectors of our economy, including banking, artificial intelligence, and airlines. Many pressing challenges in public policy stem from Networks, Platforms, and Utilities (NPUs), including supply chain issues in railroads, airline flight cancellations, broadband internet access, electric grid crashes, the emergence of nonbank money, and anticompetitive practices on tech platforms. The Project on Networks, Platforms, and Utilities aims to reinvigorate this field of study in law schools, encourage research on the regulation of NPUs, and develop policy proposals to improve NPU governance. The Project on Industrial Policy and Economic Security (IPES) aims to advance research and policy on supply chain disruptions, domestic production, trade wars, economic sanctions, and state capacity. The Project on Public Options and Governance advances research and policy solutions that expand access, enhance competition, and increase opportunity to critical goods and services for American consumers, families, and communities by promoting state capacity building and good governance practices. Topics of interest include federal procurement practices and public options—publicly-provided goods and services that coexist with the private marketplace. If you are interested in working with us, please see our job postings.