Join us for an inspiring and interactive workshop featuring legendary world surfing champion, author, and leadership expert Shaun Tomson. In a time marked by global uncertainty and rapid change, Shaun will introduce The CODE Method—a transformative framework designed to help individuals turn hope into action, visualization into realization, and desire into lasting commitment. Drawing on…Continue Reading Event: Finding Purpose in Turbulent Times
We are offering Leading Economic Growth online again from September 29 – December 5th 2025. Application deadline is September 8th, 2025. Stimulating growth is the top economic priority for many countries and localities around the world. Yet many are trapped, lacking the productive capability to solve problems and expand to new industries to drive development. New growth strategies…Continue Reading Apply for our Leading Economic Growth Executive Program!
A Four-Part Podcast Series with Rob Wilkinson Effective leadership requires more than making decisions and giving orders. A good leader needs to understand perspectives, manage group dynamics, connect with people on an emotional level, and craft compelling visions for the future. In this four-part podcast series, Harvard Kennedy School’s Robert Wilkinson talks us through his…Continue Reading The 4P Framework for Strategic Leadership
The Leadership and Innovation Program (LIP), launched in 2020 by the Royal School of Administration and supported by the World Bank’s Coalitions for Reforms (C4R) Global Program, including Michael Woolcock, has trained over 1,000 senior officials across ministries and provinces in Cambodia. The program was designed to address persistent challenges in Cambodia’s public sector, such…Continue Reading The Leadership Program Reshaping Cambodia
Guest blog by Melissa Velez, IPP ’23 Since early 2020, the City of Allentown, in Eastern Pennsylvania, has been working on a complete zoning code rewrite. The plan has been to go from a typical Euclidian type of code to more of a form-based code. The project was stalled for a couple of years due…Continue Reading Zoning in on the Problem: Using PDIA to Build Affordable Housing in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Blog written by Mannat Singh Building State Capability (BSC) has trained over 4,500 public problem solvers in 156 countries to use the Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approach. However, policy problems are complex and often persist, necessitating constant collaboration and real-time learning. In December 2024, we launched our new PDIA Community of Practice platform. Designed…Continue Reading Building and Engaging the PDIA Community of Practice
BSC is hiring! We are looking for a talented research fellow and communications assistant to join the BSC team!…Continue Reading We’re Hiring!
Earlier this year, 21 IPP alumni from 15 countries gathered in Bahrain for our first Implementing Public Policy (IPP) community of practice seminar for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. As part of this event, IPP alums, Lobna Jeribi and Tim Kornprobst discussed their experience using the PDIA approach to address solid waste…Continue Reading Event: PDIA in Tunisia and Jordan
We are excited to announce that Building State Capability is now on Instagram! We started this account as part of our efforts to expand our reach, showcase our work, and continue to build a thriving PDIA community. Follow us @HarvardBSC to stay up-to-date on the latest BSC events, research, projects, podcasts, and more….Continue Reading BSC is on Instagram!
In early 2022, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) faced a growing waste crisis. Given its population of 4.5 million people generating approximately 3,000 tons of solid municipal waste daily, half of Jordan’s total, the city’s rapid growth had significantly outpaced its waste management infrastructure. In response to this challenge, a remarkable two-year transformation using Problem-Driven…Continue Reading Case: Using PDIA to Transform Waste Management in Amman
