Programs & Initiatives

Where ideas become action.

SPI develops programs, platforms and collaborative initiatives that translate our research agenda into practical work.

VisaWatch

Making the global mobility system visible.

Every year, millions of people navigate visa systems to study, work, conduct research, build businesses, visit family and participate in international exchange. Yet the rules governing this mobility—and the substantial differences in how people experience them—remain difficult to compare and understand.

VisaWatch is a public-interest research and data initiative of the Systems Policy Institute examining how visa and mobility systems operate across countries and over time. It brings together data on visa access, requirements, refusals, costs and policy changes to make patterns in global mobility governance more visible and accessible.

What VisaWatch does

Data & Tracking — builds and maintains comparable information on visa policies, access and outcomes.
Research & Analysis — examines patterns and inequalities within international mobility systems.
Policy Monitoring — tracks consequential changes in visa and mobility policy across major destinations and regions.
Public Understanding — translates complex visa systems and data into accessible analysis for researchers, policymakers and the public.

Visit VisaWatch

U.S.–Africa Policy Hub

A stronger space for U.S.–Africa policy ideas.

Relations between the United States and African countries are changing. Trade and investment, technology, security, migration, climate, demographics and geopolitical competition are reshaping the relationship. Yet many policy conversations remain divided by sector, geography and institution.

The U.S.–Africa Policy Hub is an SPI platform for research, analysis and dialogue on the policies shaping relations between African countries and the United States. The Hub connects researchers, policymakers, practitioners and emerging voices across Africa, the United States and the diaspora.

What the Hub does

Policy Analysis — produces accessible analysis of consequential developments in U.S.–Africa relations.
Research & Ideas — creates space for research and longer-form thinking on emerging policy questions.
Dialogue & Convening — brings together people and institutions across Africa and the United States.
New Voices — creates opportunities for emerging researchers and practitioners to contribute.

Explore the U.S.–Africa Policy Hub

Building the next initiatives

SPI is designed as a platform for new policy work.

Our program portfolio will grow as we develop research, partnerships and resources across SPI's six areas of work. Future initiatives may take different forms—from research programs and data platforms to policy labs, leadership programs, fellowships and collaborative projects with institutions working on shared challenges.

We develop new initiatives where SPI can make a distinctive contribution, where the work advances our mission, and where there is a clear connection to our research agenda.

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