Year: 2023

Event: Learning, Failure, and Blame in the Public Sector

Matt Andrews, Lant Pritchett, Dan Honig, and Salimah Samji presenting

Problems in the public sector are numerous. It is an arena where critique is constant, mistakes are magnified, success is taken for granted, and the risk of failure has public consequences. In this complex landscape, how do you pivot from finger-pointing positions of ‘winner-loser’ and ‘we-they’ to creating a learning environment of “us?” Is failure…Continue Reading Event: Learning, Failure, and Blame in the Public Sector

Event: They Eat Our Sweat: Transport Labor, Corruption, and Survival in Urban Nigeria

Daniel Agbiboa and Salimah Samji presenting to audience

The informal transportation network, characteristic of many African cities, is notoriously dangerous. In Lagos, drivers are constantly threatened and forced to pay bribes; they suffer health problems like hypertension and partial blindness, and accidents are common. Fear is a form of governance. The police and the union extract money from transport drivers and share it…Continue Reading Event: They Eat Our Sweat: Transport Labor, Corruption, and Survival in Urban Nigeria

The developing world needs to get ‘shoveling’

A person shoveling dirt

Guest blog by Yaveneshaa Madurai, LEG’23 The Harvard Kennedy School Leading Economic Growth (LEG) programme challenged me in quite a different way, than I’m ‘used to’. As a Strategist, I’m used to delivering things that are ‘neatly processed’ – you choose your ‘weapon of choice’ (a previously developed strategy model by one of the ‘gurus’,…Continue Reading The developing world needs to get ‘shoveling’

New Podcast: Michael Woolcock Shares how he has Applied PDIA at the World Bank

Michael Woolcock presenting

We have released a new episode in our podcast series A Decade of Building State Capability. For our third episode of the series, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Michael Woolcock, a co-author of the Building State Capability book. In this episode, Michael discusses the process of coming up with the PDIA approach to help development practitioners…Continue Reading New Podcast: Michael Woolcock Shares how he has Applied PDIA at the World Bank

Low Private Sector Investment in Liberia

Aerial view of Monrovia, Liberia

Guest blog by Marcus B. Zarway, LEG’23 Through the course, I learned many things; especially things related to my past and present work, as well as totally new ideas. I have developed and implemented catalytic private sector (entrepreneurship) and other development projects successful, and now supporting government agencies in reforms for economic development, unknowingly applying…Continue Reading Low Private Sector Investment in Liberia

Growing through Understanding: Tackling Namibia’s Income Inequality Problem

Windhoek, Namibia neighborhood

Guest blog by Anna Niita Etuna Nahambelelwe Shatika, LEG’23 Embarking on the Harvard course on Leading Economic Growth has been a transformative 10-week journey. Throughout the course, I gained invaluable insights and knowledge that will shape my approach to addressing the growth challenges faced by Namibia. In this blog, I will share key ideas and…Continue Reading Growing through Understanding: Tackling Namibia’s Income Inequality Problem

Rapid Inflation and its Implication in the UAE

United Arab Emirates cityscape

Guest blog by Tariq Alsuwaidi, LEG’23 The realization that addressing inflation is essential to achieving sustainable economic development is one of the most important things that may be gained from taking this course. For instance, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suffered from the negative impacts of excessive inflation, such as a drop in buying…Continue Reading Rapid Inflation and its Implication in the UAE

New Podcast: Andrew Lawson Reflects on his Evaluation of PDIA in Africa

Matt Andrews presenting at CABRI with Andrew Lawson in the audience

We have released a new episode in our podcast series A Decade of Building State Capability. Our second episode of the series features Andrew Lawson who did an independent evaluation of PDIA during our work with CABRI in Africa in 2018, commissioned by the Gates Foundation. He published a related piece in the World Development Perspectives in September 2023….Continue Reading New Podcast: Andrew Lawson Reflects on his Evaluation of PDIA in Africa