The BSC blog, launched in 2013, features stories from practitioners around the world who are working to solve some of the world’s most pressing and complex problems. Browse blogs below by sector.
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ECONOMIC GROWTH
Scrabble, Fishbones, and Positive Deviance: A Perspective from New Zealand
Guest blog by Mark Lea, LEG ’24 I have really enjoyed participating in the Harvard Kennedy School’s Leading Economic Growth 2024 programme, led by Professors Ricardo Hausmann and Matt Andrews, and supported by their wider faculty team. Both Professors shared the theories, tools and frameworks they have developed to help us think about our economic…Continue…
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GOVERNANCE
Building Rights-Based Frameworks in Fiscal Decisions in Buenos Aires
Guest Blog by Maria Agostina Cacault, IPP ’25 When I began the Implementing Public Policy program at Harvard Kennedy School in May 2025, I thought I understood my challenge: there was a “lack of human rights and gender perspective in the legal proceedings of Buenos Aires Province State Attorney’s Office.” Like many of us working…Continue…
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EDUCATION
Increasing the Engagement of Young Adults in STEM Careers in the Dominican Republic
Guest Blog by Mabely Diaz Soriano, IPP ’25 My journey with the IPP program began with a lot of expectations. The process of waiting for the program to open. After the first time, I contacted the IPP team to request more information on the application. It just added more to my increasing questions about how to implement public policies successfully. I should stop here and…Continue…
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CRISIS LEADERSHIP
Public policy during a crisis: 3 Lessons learned from Ecuador’s earthquake
Guest blog written by Sandra Naranjo Bautista Last October, I was a guest lecturer at Harvard’s Executive Education Program, Budgeting Through Crisis. I talked about my experience as a minister during Ecuador’s 2016 earthquake with Salimah Samji, Director of the Building State Capability Program. Our conversation brought up memories that motivated me to write this blog. You can also…Continue…
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HEALTH
Strengthening Healthy School Nutrition Policy in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Guest blog by Mariam Alkarbi, IPP ’25 When I joined the Implementing Public Policy (IPP) program, I was eager to work on an issue close to my heart: improving school food environments in Abu Dhabi. Childhood obesity is one of the UAE’s most pressing public health challenges, and while we already have nutrition guidelines and…Continue…
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INFRASTRUCTURE
Changing Jobs and Changing Frameworks for Problem Solving
Guest blog by Brian Vandenberg, IPP ’24 When I first enrolled in the Harvard Kennedy School’s Implementing Public Policy (IPP) program, I had no idea how transformative the experience would be. At the time, I was working in Tallahassee, Florida, grappling with a particularly pressing challenge: how to make public transportation more financially sustainable within…Continue…
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PUBLIC FINANCE
Improving Public Spending Efficiency and Transparency in Panama
Guest Blog by Daniel Lombana, IPP ’25 Enrolling in the Harvard Kennedy School program Implementing Public Policy has been one of the best educational decisions I have ever made. I am a lawyer by profession, with a degree in Law and Political Science and a master’s in Procedural Law. Over the years, I have pursued…Continue…
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OTHER
Strengthening Employment Pathways for Elite Athletes in Papua New Guinea
Guest blog by Lydia Dimokari, Milton Kisapai, Lua Rikis, Basil Jofari and Kollin Killa Taugamu Over the past 12 weeks, our team—Opportunity League—embarked on an incredible learning experience through the PDIA (Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation) approach. Here’s what we discovered, the challenges we tackled, and how this journey is shaping the way we solve problems….Continue Reading…