About Us

The IPG house

The Institute for Policy and Governance (IPG) builds strategic relationships between the university and community by linking academic research and outreach efforts to address significant public policy issues. IPG, a university level institute, was created to blend theory with practice by providing a variety of policy-related services. With its diverse group of people, IPG has the resources to help you and your organization in a variety of capacities.

IPG's work reflects the beliefs that better information can lead to improved public policy and that both public and private institutions have critical roles to play in the solution of public problems. Our evolving mission is to continue to stimulate and support excellent social science research on significant public policy issues and to apply and disseminate the findings widely- to students, scholars, policymakers, and the public at large.

IPG supports Virginia Tech's mission of integrating scholarship, research, and outreach to better serve students, institutions, and citizens throughout Virginia and the nation. IPG utilizes a "management laboratory" approach to engage experienced practitioners, academic leaders, students, and the private sector in processes of policy and program review, research, design and implementation. This approach establishes an environment for innovative collaboration between the university, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to develop creative yet realistic policy and program solutions for citizens and communities. IPG's role as a public management laboratory provides a milieu where the best in national practices are reviewed and enhanced to offer the most current and productive administrative practices to state and local government. The management laboratory model blends the applied knowledge and know-how of practitioners, the theoretical approaches of academics, and the learning experiences of students, to the mutual benefit of the project and the project team.