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Combining parenthood and employment in Belgium: What is the problem?

  • Publication date February 7, 2024
A working mother

Guest blog by Silvia Steisel, IPP ’23 My role as a leader in a philanthropic organization focused on employment has led me to the realization multiple times that we were attempting to address complex issues in an inadequate manner. Employment is a multifaceted sector influenced by various cyclical, cultural, social, and political factors. Challenges related…Continue Reading Combining parenthood and employment in Belgium: What is the problem?

Building public trust in the midst of crisis and change

  • Publication date February 2, 2024
Group photo with Mayor Beaty

Guest blog by Jennifer Hale Christy, IPP ’23 I began my Implementing Public Policy journey in May of 2023, eight months into serving as Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Beaverton, Oregon. Before that, I served as the Mayor’s Communication Officer for nearly two years. My journey to public service was unconventional–from seminary to…Continue Reading Building public trust in the midst of crisis and change

Building a 15-minute city in lower income neighborhoods – with people, not for people 

  • Publication date January 31, 2024
Aerial view of neighborhood

Guest blog by Joyce Pan Huang, IPP ’23 As someone new to the public sector in the last two years, I leapt at the opportunity to attend the Implementing Public Policy program. I enjoyed building friendships and connections with government officials and policymakers from around the world. While our challenges were different across the world,…Continue Reading Building a 15-minute city in lower income neighborhoods – with people, not for people 

Applying PDIA to Education Systems

  • Publication date January 29, 2024
Sierra Leone Team working

BSC has been exploring how the PDIA methodology can help build capability to improve the implementation of education policies and programs. In 2022, the team developed a custom PDIA for Education Systems online action learning program for Education Development Trust (EDT), funded by United Kingdom’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The goal of this…Continue Reading Applying PDIA to Education Systems

Improving reading proficiency and learning outcomes in Kaduna State, Nigeria

  • Publication date January 26, 2024
Children in Nigeria

Guest blog by Salamatu Idris Isah, IPP ’23 PDIA: Learning by Doing and Getting it Right Working in a public space has never been easy, especially when you are saddled with the responsibility of making sure everything you proposed, that has been adopted, has a developmental impact. My participation in the 2023 IPP course was an eye-opener, as we were introduced to the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) Concept. Taking a…Continue Reading Improving reading proficiency and learning outcomes in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Effectively tackling industry-level climate risks to ensure inclusive participation in the green economy by all organizations

  • Publication date January 24, 2024
Coins stacked in upward trajectory with green plant on top

Guest blog by Chiu Hao Chen, IPP ’23 My Odyssey with PDIA In a time overshadowed by rising tensions among nations, unprecedented increases in natural disasters, and the world’s collective shortfall on all Sustainable Development Goals, I set forth on a quest alongside revered Masters of PDIA (Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation) at the sanctified halls…Continue Reading Effectively tackling industry-level climate risks to ensure inclusive participation in the green economy by all organizations

New Podcast: Authorizer Reflections on Using PDIA in Meghalaya, India

  • Publication date January 22, 2024
Sampath Kumar on a site visit in Meghalaya, India

We have released a new episode in our podcast series A Decade of Building State Capability. In this episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Sampath Kumar, Health Secretary and Development Commissioner of the government of Meghalaya. Sampath attended Harvard Kennedy School in 2013 where he had his first exposure to Building State Capability. In this…Continue Reading New Podcast: Authorizer Reflections on Using PDIA in Meghalaya, India

Reflections on IPP and Returning to Work

  • Publication date January 19, 2024
Person summiting a mountain

Guest blog by Marcio Paes Barreto, IPP ’23 As my course Implementing Public Policy (IPP) ended I recognized a familiar feeling that relates to my experience leading NOLS wilderness expeditions. At the end of those expeditions, participants often reflected on what they couldn’t bring back from the wilderness, and some felt uneasy about returning to…Continue Reading Reflections on IPP and Returning to Work

Developing a Harmonized Legal and Regulatory Framework for Reforming Public Sector Pay in Sierra Leone

  • Publication date January 17, 2024
Freetown, Sierra Leone

Guest blog by Sonia Umu Karim, IPP ’23 One of my favourite quotations, which I came across during my secondary school years and which has kept me going through many frustrating ups and downs working on public sector reforms in Sierra Leone is by Henry David Thoreau; it goes “All endeavour calls for the ability to tramp…Continue Reading Developing a Harmonized Legal and Regulatory Framework for Reforming Public Sector Pay in Sierra Leone

New Podcast: Ricardo Hausmann Reflects on his Engagement with BSC

  • Publication date January 3, 2024
Ricardo Hausmann headshot

We have released a new episode in our podcast series A Decade of Building State Capability. In this episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Ricardo Hausmann, Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy at the Harvard Kennedy School and founder and Director of Harvard’s Growth Lab. In this episode, Ricardo describes his…Continue Reading New Podcast: Ricardo Hausmann Reflects on his Engagement with BSC