HARRISON INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC LAW
GEORGETOWN LAW
Public Policy Clinic: Climate, Health, Trade & Human Rights
Potential Projects for 2016-17
Climate change
Adapting to sea level rise (SLR)
 Help Virginia’s largest city prepare for rising seas by developing land-use, building, and
infrastructure policies.
 Analyze local authority in Virginia to prepare for rising seas and flooding.
Adapting with green infrastructure (GI)
 Develop policies for green infrastructure – building codes, zoning codes, streetscapes.
 Analyze local authority to implement green infrastructure.
 Identify private financing options and government strategies to support them.
Equity in adapting to climate change
 Adapt policies to protect the most vulnerable people—low-income, elderly, children.
 Adapt policies to promote local hiring and economic development.
 Help the New York City Housing Authority adapt to climate change.
 Help Baltimore develop policies to protect residents from floods.
 Help Washington, D.C., protect its most vulnerable neighborhoods from climate change.
Food and health
Food & nutrition
 Support purchase of fresh local food by schools and hospitals.
 Minimize use of antibiotics in livestock.
 Help set standards for purchasing that is environmentally and socially sustainable.
Health systems and public health
 Be a health-policy advocate for the Georgetown Medical-Legal Partnership.
 Help HIV/AIDS programs adapt to the Affordable Care Act.
 Help states implement the Affordable Care Act.
 Develop policies to reduce antibiotic use in agriculture and in human medicine.
Trade and investment
Trade agreements and climate change
 Assess the climate impact of TTIP (Trans-Atlantic Trade & Invest. Partnership).
 Develop trade rules that limit fossil fuel subsidies (TTIP and others).
 Analyze the impact of trade rules on climate-change policies, e.g., solar incentives.
 Analyze the WTO status of carbon taxes.
Continued next page – Trade, human rights & clinic backgound
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Trade, continued
International investment agreements
 Analyze the EU proposal to create an investment court (TTIP and others).
 Analyze national security and state ownership in investment negotiations with China.
 Draft amendments to existing investment treaties to safeguard tobacco control measures.
Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA)
 Analyze impact of TiSA on public services and regulation of public utilities.
Human rights and labor
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Analyze best practices to assess risk of human rights abuses.
Develop options to expand transparency of government supply chains.
Map supply chains of selected U.S. government agencies.
Analyze procurement standards to prevent human trafficking and protect workers.
Help implement a “Just Employment Policy” for private colleges and universities.
Background on the Clinic
Policy skills. Our students learn three skill sets that transfer to any job, anywhere:
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Management and strategy – includes strategic planning, theory of change, meeting management
Research and analysis – includes interpreting statutes/treaties, analyzing legal authority, framing
policy choices
Communication – includes presentation skills, formatting visual information, writing process,
writing/drafting skills.
 This clinic meets the upperclass legal writing requirement (“WR”).
Teamwork. Our students work in one of four project teams: climate, food and health, trade, and human
rights. If you apply, we ask you to rate your interest in potential projects for each team. See the reverse
page for a list of potential projects.
Range of services. Our clients ask us to:
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Analyze limits on lawmaking authority
Analyze policy options at all levels – local, state, federal, and international
Draft policy proposals – model legislation, treaty text, and agency rules
Organize hearings or conferences and make presentations
Prepare policy briefs and web pages for public education
Create the legal structure for an association or network
Support strategic planning
Information Sessions
Learn more about our projects & curriculum:
Tuesday
March 22
1:00 pm
McD 220
Thursday
March 24
11:00 am
Hotung 5020
Tuesday
March 29
11:00 am
McD 220
Please let us know if you plan to come. Send a message to
Stumberg@law.georgetown.edu.
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