The International Policy Fellowships Program (IPF) identifies and nurtures the next generation of open society leaders in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and Mongolia. IPF joined forces with the Center for Policy Studies when it was established in late 1999 and began offering training to policy fellows to develop their capacity to write professional policy documents, identify appropriate policy instruments, and effectively advocate policies—skills that remain underdeveloped in countries where the Soros foundations work. From 2005, IPF activities will diversify into two main program areas: an impact-oriented fellowships program designed for leaders with proven policymaking and advocacy experience, and a public policy capacity development program providing assistance to up-and-coming policy researchers at local and regional levels.
Center for Policy Studies
Launched in 1999, the Center for Policy Studies (CPS) of Central European University works with a broadening circle of policy analysts and institutions to promote the development of policy center networks throughout Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Mongolia. The center offers a master's program in public policy, carries out policy research that furthers the open society mission, and disseminates quality analyses in accessible formats.
In 2006, Islam and Tolerance in Wider Europe, a publication featuring studies by a number of policy fellows, was the focus of public seminars organized by international policy institutes. The International Policy Fellowships Program, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, and the Center for Intercultural Studies and Partnership in Sofia collaborated to bring policymakers and journalists together to examine the publication’s central themes. Seminar discussions explored questions such as how postcommunist and postcolonial societies perceive the “global war on terror” and the possible linkages between marginalized Muslim communities and political Islam in Europe.
Read more about the International Policy Fellows Program 2006 activities.
