INSPIRE Internship Program

The LEAP Internship Program becomes part of the INSPIRE Internship Program!

Applications to the Summer 2026 Round of the INSPIRE Internship Program are now open.

APPLY NOW!

The Invernizzi Center for Social Policy Impact Research and Evaluation (INSPIRE) is a research center at Bocconi University dedicated to understanding what works in social policy - and produces rigorous, policy-relevant evidence to help governments, institutions, and organizations design and scale interventions that improve people’s lives. By combining causal impact evaluation with big data and artificial intelligence, the Center moves beyond average effects to understand who benefits, under which conditions, and at what scale.

Our work spans diverse institutional and geographic contexts, with a globally-informed perspective. INSPIRE focuses on several key areas of social policy, conducted by three research units:

LEAP – aiming at reducing poverty around the world through the design, the analysis and the dissemination of effective anti-poverty programs, in order to offer reliable solutions to policy-makers, seeking to improve the lives of the poor. both in Italy and in low-middle income countries
CLEAN – investigating criminal behavior employing detailed data and frontier quantitative methods. The unit is particularly interested in the activity of criminal organizations pursuing complex illicit businesses such as drug trafficking, corruption, and money laundering.
ABLE – investigating how disability shapes the lives of individuals and their families, with the aim of generating rigorous evidence for more effective and inclusive social policy.

The Program

The INSPIRE Internship Program is dedicated to enthusiastic and motivated Bocconi students who wish to gain first-hand experience in developing cutting-edge empirical research.

The selected interns will have the opportunity to work with faculty affiliated with INSPIRE on several projects and will take on substantial responsibilities in program design, implementation, monitoring, research, and evaluation. Responsibilities will include data cleaning and econometric analysis, as well as assisting with data collection activities, designing survey instruments, preparing training materials for surveys, and conducting literature reviews.

Candidates will be asked to include in their application up to three research areas of interests, and they will be matched to the most suitable opportunity available.

Eligibility

The position is open to current Bocconi students and only unpaid curricular internships (with credit recognition) will be offered. Applicants must be currently enrolled in a MSc in Economics or related quantitative discipline.

Students enrolled to this program cannot simultaneously spend a semester or a year abroad in one of Bocconi’s exchange or double-degree programs. Students who already completed a curricular internship during their MSc are not eligible for this opportunity.

A full list of requirements for this position can be found in the Request for Application. Applications not in line with the full requirements will not be considered.

Application Submission Rules

Please read carefully the following instructions. Applications lacking one or more requirements will not be considered. Applications should be submitted electronically through the online form attached at the bottom of this page.

You should provide the following documents in one single PDF:

1. Curriculum vitae (download and use the template in the link below – 1 page only)

2. A brief (one-page at most) Statement of Purpose using the template available at the link below.

The deadline to submit your applications is May 27th, 2026. We will not consider any application submitted after the deadline.

Selection Process:

A selection committee consisting of INSPIRE scholars will review the applications. Candidates might be invited to complete a short STATA test and a formal interview, to assess their knowledge of the software.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.