For undergraduate-focused colleges strong in economics, as well as in other social sciences related to public policy, any of the top ~20 schools from this analysis could be worth serious research: https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html. You’ll note that the NESCACs are highly represented, but you’ll find a few others of potential interest as well. Colleges from this group with established terms in D.C. might merit additional consideration.