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Nidhi Nair

Nidhi Nair

While growing up in South India, Nidhi Nair followed Cato’s work for nearly a decade. “I deeply value liberty and free markets and wanted real experience working with an economist,” Nidhi says.

“As a Peter G. Peterson Foundation Fiscal Intern, I contributed to studies on regulations, state bureaucracy, innovation, and angel investments. I compared the difference in the size of state and local governments in all 50 states over the past 10 years,” says Nidhi. “It was both fun and terrifying seeing the growth of government in all the states from 2010 to 2020, and analyzing which sectors changed the most.”

She feels especially grateful to Cato’s Sponsors, who provided her with a solid foundation on which to build her future career as an economist. “The Cato internship program has taught me the importance of rigorous data analysis and improved my understanding of the investment infrastructure in the United States. These skills will be very useful when I kickstart my career as an economist after graduation. Thank you to the Sponsors for this bedrock.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the compensation?

Cato interns are paid competitively at $17.00 per hour based upon their agreed work schedules.

Part‐​time internships are permitted in exceptional cases.

No, but we do send out links to help interns with their search and connect them with one another to discuss it once they have been accepted into the program.

Please check your inbox and spam folder for an email from intern@​cato.​org with the subject “Thank you for your internship application.” You should have received it immediately after you submitted your application. If you received this email, we have your application in our database.

Yes, Cato will notify all applicants.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide acceptance decisions earlier than the standard notification date.

Our preference is to take interns who can commit to a full-time internship for the entire semester. We do consider applications for part-time availability on a case-by-case basis, (Part-time commitments must be at least 3 days/​week or the equivalent of 25 hours/​week). If you are selected as a finalist and are unavailable for full-time work, we can discuss your particular availability at that time.

Unfortunately, no. Interns cannot repeat the internship program or extend it.

No, in order for participants to substantively engage with all dimensions of the internship experience, we require in-person participation at our offices in Washington, D.C.

  • Applicants living abroad and international applicants are encouraged to apply but will need to be authorized to work lawfully for Cato in the United States for the duration of the term and must be able to work in-person in Washington, DC to participate. The Cato Institute will sponsor a limited number of J‑1 visas.

There is no need to send a resume with your application. If needed, we will request a resume from you later in the application process.

Yes, international interns are eligible for visa funding.

Internship program participants cannot work as volunteers.

Unless specific additional materials are requested from finalists for specific departments, we generally do not accept additional materials.