After a frantic start navigating airports and managing jet lag, I’ve started to get a feel for Berlin. The art and architecture is breathtaking, and the city is full of amazingly interesting places that are extremely easy to get to. In fact, I have no clue how I’ll ever go back to the using the PRT busses, because it’s just So Easy to navigate using the public transport here.
Before the internship begins, we had several days of orientation with Britta Kallmann from Intrax. As part of the orientation, we had some introductory German classes, explored the city, and met with various representatives from the German government. In these meetings, we had the chance to talk with representatives from the Bundestag (parliament), the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and the central bank of Germany.
Our first meeting was with Kai Whittaker, a member of the Bundestag in the Christian Democratic Union party. After waiting in security and being escorted up a transparent elevator, we entered a massive room with dozens of microphones. Once Whittaker arrived, he sat down and immediately, and without introduction, told us to ask him questions. We obliged, and he readily answered a number of questions ranging about energy, domestic policy, and international relations. I was surprised with his openness and willingness to answer our questions with his true opinion. I think this experience really speaks to an effort to maintain transparency in the German government, and it was very interesting to get an insider view on German parliament.
The next visit was to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. This was a particularly useful meeting since I will be interning in the field of primarily environmental policy, and it was helpful to learn some background, especially though a German perspective. I saw that Germany really values sustainability, but also that one of the primary principles of the ministry is to increase the competitivity of the German economy, and there can be trade-offs in that regard. Also, I thought it was interesting that economic affairs were grouped in with energy, because in the USA, we have a separate department solely for issues of energy (the DOE).
As an Econ-Math major, I had a lot of fun talking to a representative of the European Central Bank (the ECB). Since I study in the USA, I’ve only learned macro-economics with respect to the United States, and most monetary policy was focused on tools of the Federal Reserve. For instance, I thought it was interesting that the ECB does not have a dual mandate, instead their main objective is purely price stability. Similarly, because the countries that have adapted the Euro (the Eurozone) do not share a federal government, each had their our fiscal policies, which can create potential issues.
As for my internship, I am starting tomorrow at SD Strategies, a policy and communications consultancy. The firm focuses primarily on environmental issues and sustainability, and fits into a broader professional services industry.
Consultancies have something of a reputation for being difficult to define: if you’ve ever wondered “what does a consultant actually do?” know that you are not alone. In short, consultants are professionals who provide expert advice to organizations to help them solve problems, improve performance, or achieve specific goals. They’re hired for their specialized knowledge, outside perspective, or technical expertise to work on specific projects. For this reason, the role requires flexibility, good communication, and management skills. In Germany, punctuality and efficiency highly valued, so time-management skills are immensely important. The final deliverable is often a policy paper, which requires specific research, robust data analysis, and clear, professional writing. SD Strategies has dozens of publications, each many pages long, focusing on environmental policy in various countries and settings.
All-in-all, I’m really looking forward to starting work and learning more about the field. You’ll hear from me again a week from now. Tschüss!