The American Enterprise Institute’s Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility (COSM) seeks a driven, research-oriented intern for summer 2026. The intern will work closely with and staff to research, identify, and promote policies that improve opportunity and mobility for low-income Americans. COSM scholars study the determinants of economic mobility and human flourishing in America through empirically driven and policy-informing research.
The COSM intern will interact with a variety of research and policy areas, including federal safety-net programs such as cash welfare, food assistance, and unemployment insurance; trends in social capital in America; and determinants of economic mobility and human flourishing. The intern will be expected to retrieve and analyze datasets, assist with data visualization projects, curate content for a biweekly newsletter, and perform other research and writing tasks. Candidates who are able to participate in the program on an in-person basis for 25-40 hours a week are encouraged to apply.
Successful applicants should have:
About AEI Internships
AEI internships offer a unique opportunity for undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates to gain experience in research, writing, business, and communications at one of the nation’s leading think tanks.
Competitive candidates will generally have a GPA of 3.5 or higher from a top-ranking college or university. AEI’s internship program runs for 12 weeks and all related programming will take place in-person in Washington, DC. Please see the internship program home page for updates about the program.
The fall program dates are either Tuesday, September 8, to Friday, December 4, or Tuesday, September 15, to Friday, December 11.
Who we are:
The American Enterprise Institute is a public policy think tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world. The work of our scholars and staff advances ideas rooted in our belief in democracy, free enterprise, American strength and global leadership, solidarity with those at the periphery of our society, and a pluralistic, entrepreneurial culture.
How we do it:
We are committed to making the intellectual, moral, and practical case for expanding freedom, increasing individual opportunity, and strengthening the free enterprise system in America and around the world. Our work explores ideas that further these goals, and AEI scholars take part in this pursuit with academic freedom. AEI operates independently of any political party and has no institutional positions. Our scholars’ conclusions are fueled by rigorous, data-driven research and broad-ranging evidence.
Our work:
Our scholars not only engage in research that focuses on today’s most critical challenges but also look ahead to ideas and issues that have yet to be widely recognized. AEI scholars pursue innovative, independent work across a wide array of subjects. From economics, education, health care, and poverty to foreign and defense studies, public opinion, politics, society, and culture, our experts drive the competition of ideas.
