Background

This post contains a collection of resources for aspiring policy professionals in the US, including articles, books, newsletters, podcasts, and more. It focuses on resources most relevant to people seeking to work in US federal-level technology or security policy, such as AI policy or biosecurity policy.

The post is split into two parts: the first consists of career-specific resources, providing both strategic advice on high-level career decisions and tactical advice on applying for particular opportunities. The second consists of topic-specific resources to help readers learn about particular policy areas relating to emerging technology and security policy, including AI policy, biosecurity policy, and nuclear security policy.

This collection consists of resources that different DC professionals have recommended. It does not aim to be comprehensive, and we haven’t vetted all these resources individually. The collection is also a work-in-progress, and we appreciate any feedback (e.g., resources we missed, better ways to structure this post) via this form or in the comments.

I. Career-specific policy resources

General US policy career resources

• US Policy Careers account on the EA Forum
• Government and policy in an area relevant to a top problem, 80,000 Hours
• Advice for Undergraduates Interested in US Policy
• Takeaways on US Policy Careers (Part 1): Paths to Impact and Personal Fit
• Takeaways on US Policy Careers (Part 2): Career Advice
• Books:
  • The Great Courses: Understanding the US Government (Audible) (2020)
  • Hack Your Bureaucracy: Get Things Done No Matter What Your Role on Any Team (2022)^[1]
• Podcasts:
  • Transition Lab, Partnership for Public Service^[2]
  • Stories from the Backchannel, Center for a New American Security^[3]

Other policy resource lists 

• GoGovernment Resources, Partnership for Public Service
• Resources Overview, Network on Emerging Threats
• Resources, United States of Technology
• Relevant EA Forum tags: US policy, Policy, Career choice, Job profile, Governance of artificial intelligence

Policy work opportunities

Policy job boards

• USAJobs.gov, the government’s job board for federal agencies (see USAJobs guide)
• Employment Bulletins for the House, Senate, and Senate Internships
• Resume Banks for the House and Senate
• Paid: 
  • Traverse Jobs, focus on Congress and advocacy
  • Tom Manatos Jobs, focus on DC policy (e.g., Congress, federal agencies)
  • Daybook, focus on political, policy, and non-profit jobs
• List of progressive job boards
• 80,000 Hours Job Board, includes some policy jobs and internships 
• EA Opportunity Board, includes some policy internships
• Early-Career Opportunities in Governance and Policy

Policy internships

• Consider "Semester in DC" Programs, if You're a US Student Interested in Policy 
• Congressional Internships: Why and How to Apply
• Virtual Student Federal Service: remote government internships for US students
• Think tank internships section from Working at a (DC) policy think tank
• USAjobs.gov internships for students and recent graduates (see also list here and USAjobs guide here)

Policy fellowships

• Database of EA-relevant US policy fellowships (+ these databases)
• Horizon Fellowship (previously Open Philanthropy Technology Policy Fellowship)
• TechCongress Fellowship
• Presidential Management Fellowship (+ PMF application tips)
• STPI Science Policy Fellowship
• Scoville Fellowship

Policy graduate school

• US policy master’s degrees: 
  • Why and When? (Part 1)
  • Top Programs, Applications, & Funding (Part 2)
  • US policy master’s database
• Law school: 
  • Why and When? (Part 1)
  • Admissions and Financial Advice (Part 2)
• PhD: 
  • How To PhD
  • How to apply for a PhD
  • Career review: Economics PhD, 80,000 Hours

Policy institutions

Legislative branch (Congress) 

• Working in Congress (Part 1): Background and some EA cause area analysis
• Working in Congress (Part 2): Assessing fit and landing a job
• How I got an entry-level role in Congress
• Congressional Internships: Why and How to Apply
• Secret Congress
• Books:
  • *Act of Congress: How America’s Essential Institution Works, and How It Doesn’t (2013)^[4]
  • *Surviving Inside Congress (2017)^[5]
  • Congress Overwhelmed: The Decline in Congressional Capacity and Prospects for Reform (2020)
  • Climbing the Hill: How to Build a Career in Politics and Make a Difference (2018)
• Podcasts:
  • Understanding Congress, American Enterprise Institute^[6]
  • Quick Questions about Congress with Kilmer^[7]

Executive branch (including federal agencies)

• Policy Entrepreneurship at the White House: Getting Things Done in Large Organizations^[8]
• U.S. Executive branch appointments: why you may want to pursue one and tips for how to do so
• EAs Should Consider Applying to Join U.S. Diplomacy
• Governmental Cost-Benefit Analysis as an EA Career Step: A Shallow Investigation
• Writing about my job: Policy Analyst (New Zealand context, but transferable lessons) 
• Federal Government Consulting as a Career Path
• Books:
  • *The Art of Policymaking: Tools, Techniques and Processes in the Modern Executive Branch (2016)^[9]
  • *The National Security Enterprise: Navigating the Labyrinth (2017)^[10]
  • *Rulemaking: How Government Agencies Write Law and Make Policy (2019)^[11]
  • Executive Policymaking: The Role of OMB in the Presidency (2020) (JSTOR)^[12]
  • Running the World. The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power (2006)
  • The Federal Budget: Politics, Policy, Process (2000)

Think tanks

• Working at a (DC) policy think tank: Why you might want to do it, what it’s like, and how to get a job (especially the list of Further resources on DC think tanks)
• Career review: Think tank research, 80,000 Hours
• Books:
  • *The Fifth Estate: Think Tanks, Public Policy, and Governance (JSTOR) (2016)^[13]
  • What Should Think Tanks Do? A Strategic Guide to Policy Impact (2013)

Policy advocacy

• Right to Petition: A Practical Guide to Creating Change in Government with Political Advocacy Tools and Tips (2019)^[14]
• How to Convince an Agency: A Handbook for Policy Advocates, American Enterprise Institute
• How to effectively comment on regulations, Brookings
• Beyond the Win: Pathways for Policy Implementation, ORS Impact
• “All Politics Is Local” A Practical Guide to Effective Advocacy, American Bar Association
• Informational Lobbying: Theory and Effectiveness

Security clearances

• Background Checks and Security Clearances for Federal Jobs
• What Are the Security Clearance Adjudicative Guidelines?
• Drug Involvement and Security Clearances
• SF-86, security clearance form

Resources for foreign citizens interested in US policy

• Working in US policy as a foreign national: Immigration pathways and types of impact
• Consider entering the 2024 US diversity visa lottery by November 8 2022—it's free and fast to do

State-level policy

• Why States Matter: An Introduction to State Politics (2021)^[15]

Living and working in Washington, DC

• Washington, DC Is Not a Swamp
• Selfish Reasons to Move to DC 
• An EA's Guide to Washington, DC 

Other articles about impact through policy careers

• My current impressions on career choice: Section on Political and bureaucratic aptitudes
• Some promising career ideas beyond 80,000 Hours' priority paths: Section on Policy careers
• Objectives of policy making
• Managing risk in the policy space

II. Topic-specific policy resources

AI policy resources 

• Introductory articles:
  • Career Review: AI governance and coordination, 80,000 Hours (and this older review)
  • AGI safety career advice
  • AI Governance: Opportunity and Theory of Impact
  • The longtermist AI governance landscape & Aptitudes for AI governance
  • A personal take on longtermist AI governance
• Newsletters:
  • *Import AI, Jack Clarke (weekly)
  • *policy.ai, Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) (bi-weekly)
  • Digital Bridge, Politico (broader than just AI)
  • FYI This Week, American Institute of Physics (science policy generally)
• Books:
  • *Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2023)
  • *The New Fire: War, Peace, and Democracy in the Age of AI (2022)
  • Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology (2022)
  • Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War (2018)
  • Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy (2016)
• Podcasts:
  • 80,000 Hours Podcast (episodes with Helen Toner, Ben Garfinkel, Jeff Ding, Allan Dafoe, and Brian Christian)
  • Hard Fork, New York Times
• Online course:
  • *AI Safety Fundamentals – Governance Course, BlueDot Impact
  • The Economics of AI, University of Virginia
  • Digital Governance, Erasmus University Rotterdam & University of Leeds
  • AI & Law, Lund University
• Policy proposals and think tank reports:
  • *12 tentative ideas for US AI policy
  • Policymaking in the Pause, Future of Life Institute
  • Why and How Governments Should Monitor AI Development
  • AI Policy Levers: A Review of the U.S. Government’s Tools to Shape AI Research, Development, and Deployment, Centre for the Governance of AI
  • Publications – Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET)
  • Publications – Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
  • Publications – Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
• Government strategies
  • US National Artificial Intelligence R&D Strategic Plan (2023), White House
  • AI Risk Management Framework (2023), NIST 
  • Responsible AI Strategy and Implementation Pathway (2022), DOD
  • Final Report (2021), National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence

Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness policy resources

• Introductory articles:
  • Problem profile: Preventing catastrophic pandemics, 80,000 Hours
  • A Biosecurity and Biorisk Reading List
  • List of Lists of Concrete Biosecurity Project Ideas
  • Advice on communicating in and around the biosecurity policy community
  • Research and Development to Decrease Biosecurity Risks from Viral Pathogens, Open Philanthropy
• Newsletters (see also this longer list):
  • The Pandora Report, George Mason University Biodefense Program
  • Health Security Headlines, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
  • Global Biodefense Newsletter
  • FYI This Week, American Institute of Physics (science policy generally)
• Books:
  • *Bioterror and Biowarfare (2006) (see notes here)
  • *Biosecurity Dilemmas: Dreaded Diseases, Ethical Responses, and the Health of Nations (2017)
  • Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs (2017)
  • Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic (2021)
  • Biological Threats in the 21st Century: The Politics, People, Science and Historical Roots (2016)
  • Barriers to Bioweapons: The Challenges of Expertise and Organization for Weapons Development (2014) (see notes here)
• Podcast:
  • 80,000 Hours Podcast (episodes with Jaime Yassif, Pardis Sabeti, Andy Weber, Greg Lewis, Cassidy Nelson, Tom Inglesby, Beth Cameron)
  • Hear This Idea Podcast (episodes with Kevin Esvelt and Jonas Sandbrink, Tessa Alexanian and Janvi Ahuja, and Ajay Karpur)
  • Poisons and Pestilence Podcast
• Online courses:
  • Next Generation Biosecurity: Responding to 21st Century Biorisks (see summary)
  • Biosecurity Fundamentals Course, BlueDot Impact
  • Nuclear Threat Initiative Education Center
• Policy proposals and think tank reports:
  • The Apollo Program for Biodefense (2021), Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense (see other reports)
  • Pathogen Early Warning: A Progress Report & Path Forward (2022), Council on Strategic Risks (see other reports)
  • Proposed Biosecurity Oversight Framework for the Future of Science (2023), National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) 
  • Preventing Global Catastrophic Biological Risks (2020), Nuclear Threat Initiative
  • Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Projects & Publications
  • Improving the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)
  • Using Export Controls to Reduce Biorisk
• Government strategies
  • National Biodefense Strategy and Implementation Plan (2022), White House
  • American Pandemic Preparedness Plan (2021), White House
  • National Strategy for a Resilient Public Health Supply Chain (2021), HHS

Nuclear security policy resources 

• Introductory articles:
  • Problem profile: nuclear war, 80,000 Hours
• Newsletters:
  • Nuclear Policy News, Center for Strategic and International Studies
  • Proliferation News, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Books:
  • *The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy (2009)
  • The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner (2017)
  • Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety (2013)
  • The Myth of the Nuclear Revolution: Power Politics in the Atomic Age (2020) (see notes)
  • Gambling with Armageddon: Nuclear Roulette from Hiroshima to the Cuban Missile Crisis (2020)
• Podcasts
  • 80,000 Hours Podcast (episodes with Jeffrey Lewis, Joan Rohlfing, Andy Weber, Daniel Ellsberg, Samantha Pitts-Kiefer, Bonnie Jenkins, Luisa Rodriguez, and David Denkenberger)
  • Hear This Idea Podcast (episode with Carl Robichaud)
  • Things That Go Boom
  • Press the Button, Ploughshares Fund
• Online courses:
  • Nuclear Threat Initiative Education Center
  • Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non‑Proliferation Nuclear Security E-Learning Module 
  • EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament eLearning Course (modules 4 and 5 deal with nuclear weapons specifically, but the entire course is useful)
• Government strategies and think tank reports
  • 2022 Nuclear Posture Review, Department of Defense
  • U.S. Nuclear Policies for a Safer World (2021), Nuclear Threat Initiative 

1. ^{^}

   Short chapters with lots of examples and applied tips on how to get things done in government. Most of the tips and tricks and notes on 'mindset' apply to policy change. Both authors previously worked on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

2. ^{^}

   Focused on presidential transitions, but a lot of the content is more broadly applicable to policy/government work writ large, with many high-profile former/current government officials telling personal stories (no longer active but has a good archive)

3. ^{^}

   Stories from CNAS staff who previously worked in government (mainly foreign policy/national security) about what their jobs involved (unclear if still active but good archive)

4. ^{^}

   A pedagogical book on how Congress works that is also a good narrative on financial reform (Dodd-Frank) after the Great Recession. Go-to book recommendation on Congress for someone not already familiar with its inner workings.

5. ^{^}

   A more in-depth ‘handbook’-type resource on how Congressional offices work, written primarily for Congressional staffers (though it's also a useful read for someone interacting with Congress from the outside)

6. ^{^}

   Pedagogical interviews about various aspects of Congressional work, hosted by a former Congressional Research Service (CRS) analyst 

7. ^{^}

   Short interviews by Rep. Derek Kilmer with other House members about what their day-to-day is like, typically light/fun conversations (~15 mins) and good for humanizing members of Congress (no longer active but has a decent archive)

8. ^{^}

   Especially useful for a perspective on interagency coordination and mobilizing stakeholders without big financial resources

9. ^{^}

   An overview of executive agency players (both White House and agencies) and some of the main "tools of the trade" (both legal and political), along with case studies of policy change examples (two security and two economic policy examples). Both authors are academics but also have government experience.

10. ^{^}

    Edited volume with chapters on many national security-related departments/agencies (DOD, State, IC, NSC, etc.), almost entirely written by people who actually worked in those places. Not only focused on formal authorities/activities but also on institutional history and culture.

11. ^{^}

    Go-to introduction on regulatory policy, covering the relevant steps in the regulatory process, key players, legal issues (when does a policy change require action by Congress and when can the executive branch act unilaterally?), etc.

12. ^{^}

    Good deep dive into OMB, one of the most powerful and less-known parts of the White House/executive branch (coordinates nearly all executive branch regulations and budgeting).

13. ^{^}

    A good overview of the think tank world, though it also has some non-US content that is not particularly relevant to DC (most countries' think tank ecosystems are pretty different from the US).

14. ^{^}

    Focused on advocacy in Congress—the author is/was a Congressional staffer—but also covers some executive branch territory.

15. ^{^}

    A good overview of the roles of states in the US federal system, useful for any policy issue where states are key players (as originators that can inspire federal policy, as implementers of federal policy, as potential blockers to federal policy, etc.).