There is a global movement of public policy development and implementation responsibility out of the government sphere to nonprofit organizations, empowered civic and faith-based institutions, a private sector with new social responsibilities and engaged citizens. It is within this environment that GSPIA responds to new challenges and opportunities through its research, centers and institutes.

The Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies – educates the next generation of security analysts and produces scholarship and impartial analysis that informs the options available to policymakers who must confront diverse challenges to international and human security on a global scale.

The Ford Institute for Human Security – conducts research that focuses on a series of transnational threats to the human rights of civilian populations and makes independent research and policy papers available to both domestic and international policymakers.
 
The Innovation Clinic – connects the academic programs at GSPIA with state and local governments, federal agencies, regional governance institutions, and nonprofit organizations in the United States to address real time problems they are confronting.

Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership – reaffirms GSPIA's commitment to creating ethical leaders and provides an institutional platform from which to launch an innovative program of teaching, research, and public service on issues of ethics and accountability in all areas of public life.

Center for Disaster Management – provides a school-wide locus to support research, education, and training projects that focus on extreme events. The goal of the Center is to develop a coherent approach for research and analysis on policy issues related to disaster risk reduction and management that cross interorganizational, interdisciplinary, and interjurisdictional boundaries.