Guest blog by Tim Kornprobst, LEG ’23
The past 10 weeks have been an inspiring for me. Thanks to the Leading Economic Growth Program, I have better understood the complexity of an important challenge: Recycling in Jordan. Prior to the course, as a researcher and advisor, I have worked with the methods of the Center for International Development, in particular Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA). However, despite my studies and practice, I have discovered many new approaches that will influence my work in current project and my future career.
Ricardo Hausmann’s theory of economic complexity has changed my perspective on development. Previously, I was convinced that governance was the decisive factor in achieving economic progress. But the Economic Complexity Atlas as well as Ricardo’s Growth Analysis showed me how important it is to see the missing parts (“letters”) in a national value chain to realize more favorable products and income. I have learned how to look for binding constraints that are holding back growth of a sector, and how a smart industrial policy that deeply examines the needs of businesses can make a great difference. At the same time, we were able to learn about new, alternative ways to achieve inclusive and green growth. The practical examples of successful export promotion and vividly presented theories of the course made it easy for a non-economist like me to grasp the essence. But what I found most impressive was how the Harvard team managed to link the approaches of PDIA and the Growth Lab seamlessly. So, the course has enabled us participants to plan and implement adaptive, well-informed, and real problem-oriented reforms that can make positive deviance happen, especially in economies of Global South.
On my journey to better understand the barriers of private recycling in the Hashemite Kingdom, I have discovered many treasures: Through my exchanges with various partners, colleagues and scientific research, I was able to develop a fishbone diagram that gives clarity about the bottlenecks of private companies. Furthermore, Jordan’s Economic Complexity Atlas has made it evident that there is great export potential for products based recycled paper, plastic and metal. Our analysis has given inspiration to several promising solutions to ease private waste economy. For example, greater cooperation between the various companies in different waste streams, new product standards for recycled products, different ways to facilitate the work of informal recyclers and to support energy-intensive recycling industry through green, cheaper electricity.
The lessons that my team and I drew from the course will find its use in our GIZ project, which aims to reduce barriers in the private waste sector. In the coming years we, as a change coalition of relevant stakeholders, will use PDIA methods and new insights of Growth Lab to continue our participatory and learning-oriented strategy. Thanks to the Leading Economic Growth Program, we have gained valuable ideas on how this journey can be successful. Together with our partners, our task force will try its best to create new jobs and protect natural resources by breaking down walls between systems and people.
This is a blog series written by the alumni of the Leading Economic Growth Executive Education Program at the Harvard Kennedy School. 58 Participants successfully completed this 10-week online course in December 2023. These are their learning journey stories.