As aspiring policy leaders, we recognize that our ability to address the pressing problems of tomorrow depends on our ability to develop robust analytical skill sets today. Rigorous analysis of public policy requires not only a firm grasp of economic theory and statistical methods, but also a foundational knowledge of socio-historical context.

Public leadership requires an honest assessment of structural power dynamics, of ingroup and outgroup dynamics, and of privilege. It requires that we continue to dissect the ways in which social structures operate to endow some individuals with certain advantages, and others with marked disadvantages. It requires that we remain critically attuned to power dynamics, both micro and macro, that undergird the institutions many of us will operate within throughout our careers.

Further, we acknowledge that structural barriers limit the participation of many diverse communities at decision-making tables. As policy leaders who will make decisions that affect many communities, including historically underrepresented communities, both in the U.S. and across the globe, we have a responsibility to understand these communities’ perspectives and the historical, social, and economic obstacles they face.

Finally, we acknowledge that we can only be effective at advancing effective public policy if we have the cultural competency to work with very diverse constituencies.