Giacomo Bagarella

Giacomo is a Director at HR&A Advisors.

I always knew I wanted to work in government and public policy, so I had been considering an MPP or an MPA as the natural continuation of my studies even during my undergraduate degree. My first job after college was a fellowship for recent graduates with the New York City government, which showed me the intricacies of municipal management and policy in a city whose administration has a larger budget and staff than that of many countries. However, as I was considering my next steps after this time-limited role, I saw that many of the positions I was interested in required a graduate degree. This led me to discover the LSE MPA.

I was delighted to be accepted into the program and have the chance to return to Europe – I am Italian – and move to London, where I had spent an internship in the memorable Olympic summer of 2012. The MPA shaped my expertise, especially through a rigorous introduction to econometrics and coursework in economics and political economy, which are helpful assets to think critically about data and policy arguments even when not working in a pure economist role. Moreover, I conducted research for faculty, made many great friends, and participated in LSE’s dynamic student life. Notably, as part of the SPP’s seminar series, I met a senior civil servant in the UK’s National Audit Office and was able to secure a summer internship through that connection. That provided exceptional exposure to working in a fascinating agency whose purpose is to help government operate more thoughtfully and effectively. 

Another opportunity that the SPP provided is the connection to other global policy schools, which led me to choose to complete the second year of my studies in Singapore at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. While I was sad to leave the program and London, I knew it would be hard to get another chance to move to a completely different place and get exposure to different policy issues. Ultimately, though, I graduated with a complementary set of experiences between the two schools.

Following my master’s, life took me back to the United States, where I worked as policy advisor to the Chief Digital Officer at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Technology Services and Security, shaping technology and digital policy and implementation for the state. Since 2019 I have worked in the private sector at HR&A Advisors, an urban and economic development consultancy headquartered in New York. I specialize in our Urban Tech and practice, working with tech companies, universities, governments, and nonprofits at the intersection of city-building and innovation, though I also support a broad set of projects in economic, real estate, and workforce development. I still think back to the frameworks and skills I learned during my MPA and hope to one day tap back into the LSE network and return to London and Europe.

Giacomo is happy to connect on LinkedIn.