Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs

How can US and Chinese students collaborate to tackle shared challenges? The China Bridge Challenge invites Northwestern undergraduates to explore the future of work through cross-cultural collaboration.

As trust in democratic institutions declines, political movements are challenging traditional systems of representation and governance.

Join @buffett.northwestern.edu for a conversation with Lilith Verstrynge and @polisciatnu.bsky.social u.bsky.social’s Iza Ding on democratic disillusionment, populist movements, and the changing role of institutions.

What global affairs topic or question should we explore at our spring 2028 Global Affairs Leadership Symposium? We’re inviting Northwestern students to propose a compelling question or issue in global affairs that could spark meaningful conversation and bring together differing perspectives.

“How can it be that we can become more democratic and yet, more unequal? It indicates that something about democracy is not working...this is not a flaw, but a feature," said Jeffrey Winters, lead convener of the EDGS conference, Evasive Riches and the Fight against Extreme Inequality.

Leading experts will discuss the current state of inequality, the tactics that make tracking and taxing wealth difficult, and strategies most likely to succeed in this fight. 📅 Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17 🔗 Learn more and register: events.humanitix.com/evasive-rich...

Cities are increasingly becoming frontline actors in addressing challenges that are global in origin but local in impact.

Join @buffett.northwestern.edu and the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago for a conversation with @rafal-trzaskowski.bsky.social, Mayor of Warsaw, on how urban leadership can strengthen democratic resilience, respond to crises, and support international cooperation.

From global public health to African sovereignty and the International Criminal Court, hear from Northwestern University faculty experts at our 2026–27 Buffett First Friday Lunch series. Northwestern students, faculty, and staff are invited to join us for a talk designed for a broad audience.

🌷 May: From Oil Barrels to Pipelines: Citizenship and Political Life in Nigeria with School of Communication & Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences' Dotun Ayobade What can Nigeria’s retired oil barrels tell us about citizenship and political life?

From global public health to African sovereignty and the International Criminal Court, hear from Northwestern University faculty experts at our 2026–27 Buffett First Friday Lunch series. Northwestern students, faculty, and staff are invited to join us for a talk designed for a broad audience.

🌱 March: Above the Law: The U.S. and the International Criminal Court with @weinbergcollege.bsky.social's Daniel Krcmaric Why has the United States spent decades at odds with the world’s leading war crimes tribunal?

From global public health to African sovereignty and the International Criminal Court, hear from Northwestern University faculty experts at our 2026–27 Buffett First Friday Lunch series. Northwestern students, faculty, and staff are invited to join us for a talk designed for a broad audience.

⛄️ January: Partnering to Tackle Public Health Crises: Viral Hepatitis as a Case Study with @feinberg.northwestern.edu's Claudia Hawkins How can partnerships between communities, institutions, and research networks improve infection prevention and treatment?

From global public health to African sovereignty and the International Criminal Court, hear from Northwestern University faculty experts at our 2026–27 Buffett First Friday Lunch series. Northwestern students, faculty, and staff are invited to join us for a talk designed for a broad audience.

🍁 October: Governing Diversity in Economic History with @kelloggschoolnu.bsky.social's Nancy Qian Why do some civilizations endure for centuries while others disappear?

"I'm doing a form of anthropological work that can push our discipline to tell stories that inspire us for the future, but also make us proud of where we came from," shared Craig Stevens, who completed his Anthropology PhD at @weinbergcollege.bsky.social as a Buffett Dissertation Fellow.

In our documentary on his work, Atypical Anthropologist, he shared that when community members recognize they have something to contribute, fieldwork becomes as much about giving back as gathering knowledge. 🎥 Watch the documentary: buffett.northwestern.edu/news/2026/bu...

"Chennai has some of the most expansive welfare programs in India, yet many are food insecure and undernourished. I was interested in researching how communities have been organizing to fill those gaps," said International Senior Thesis Grantee Anusha Kumar, a 2026 @sesp-nu.bsky.social graduate.

"We made this arbitrary gap — that this [media] is boring but serious and this [media] is really fun but stupid — but it doesn't have to be,” said Allison Yang, founder & CEO of video game studio Reality Reload, during @buffett.northwestern.edu’s Brave New Futures symposium panel on new media.

Hear more from Yang on Live from the Buffett Reading Room, a podcast featuring conversations from events held in the Buffett Reading Room, where global leaders and pioneering scholars convene to investigate the world’s most pressing problems.

How might art and technology converge in the pursuit of African sovereignty in the age of AI? That question drove the inaugural African Arts Futures Symposium held this summer at the University of Ghana with the support of a Buffett Global Collaboration Grant.

More than 100 artists, technologists, and business leaders joined live performances and discussions ranging from African autonomy in the age of AI and the future of African cultural performance. Learn more: www.africanartsfutures.com

The stakes remain urgent for Afghan women and girls as they fight for education, safety, and basic human rights under Taliban rule. Join @loyolachicago.bsky.social's Rule of Law Institute & Art Works Projects for an exhibit, film excerpt, and discussion event on women’s rights in Afghanistan.