Policy Options for Fostering Adoption of Innovative Energy Technologies. Considerations for the Development of an Ontario Health Outcomes Fund. Developing regional strategies to attract foreign direct investment. Fostering economic development by leveraging the Internet of Things. These are some of the Capstone Projects undertaken in 2015–2016 by second-year Master of Global Affairs (MGA) students investigating issues of innovation policy and economic growth.
Under the guidance of Professor Shiri Breznitz, two groups of MGA students worked with clients from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure (MEDEI), presenting their final findings at the Ministry on April 12.
“The quality of the students’ work was truly remarkable,” says Chris Lau, senior advisor at MEDEI. “They demonstrated a level of depth and rigour that was well beyond what one might come to expect from a student-led project.”
Two projects were presented at the Ministry. The Best Practices in Employing Alternative Incentives for Attracting Foreign Direct Investment Targets project examined how governments can attract foreign direct investing to help drive economic growth; and the Insurance and the Internet of Things in Ontario project explored how networked objects impact property and casualty insurance in Ontario.
The MGA program’s Capstone Projects allow students to work with a wide range of clients on problems in areas like environment, migration and global justice. While they gain real-world experience, clients get a full year of value-added analysis and innovative solutions.
