Columbia University Capstone Projects

The capstone projects are live consulting projects as part of the graduation requirements of the graduate programs of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University New York. The goal of the capstone projects was to provide the Government of Aruba with practical recommendations, while giving the students the opportunity to gain experience by solving real-world problems. Two groups of 8 graduate students have focused on two different topics including the Aruba Free Zone and the human side of eGovernment.

Toward a Digital Aruba; Increasing of Arubans and Aruba’s civil servants for e-government
Within the scope of e-Government the students conducted desk-research and a comparative case study analysis, and subsequently provided an actionable policy and plan of action for establishing the readiness of public servants and Arubans citizens to embrace a digitalized government.

Reimagining Aruba Free Zones for Economic Diversification
The team analyzed the current use of Aruba Free Zones and have provided recommendations on new ways of attracting businesses and industries with possible focus on one or two of the promising sectors identified in the Aruba National Economic Policy. Opportunities for local and international strategic relationships were studied, while incorporating knowledge from best practices from around the world.