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
Public Services Delivery in Mali: A Manageable Problem
Guest Blog by Fatim Haby Mariko, IPP ’25 When I first embarked on the Implementing Public Policy (IPP) program, my problem statement for Mali was ambitious and, as I would soon discover, far too broad to tackle directly. I started with the challenge of Mali’s low public trust and government accountability, which hindered civic engagement. It…Continue…
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EDUCATION
Tackling Student Drop‑out in Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea
Guest Blog by Mirriam Dii, Isaac George, Bernadette Tania Goye, Issac Kuine, Maree Wai Tombe In Simbu Province, more of our students are dropping out or leaving school early each year, and it is becoming the norm. At the beginning of every school year, we enroll more students, but by the end of the academic…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
Addressing the Challenge of Brain Drain and Supporting Returnees in Azerbaijan
Guest Blog by Vugar Aliyev, IPP ’25 First of all, I came to realize just how much quality education Harvard University provides to learners of public policy. The program went beyond theory and delivered practical tools that can be applied immediately in real-world contexts. I not only learned new knowledge but also gained frameworks that…Continue…