BSC is hiring! We are looking for a talented research fellow and communications assistant to join the BSC team!…Continue Reading We’re Hiring!
We’re Hiring!

BSC is hiring! We are looking for a talented research fellow and communications assistant to join the BSC team!…Continue Reading We’re Hiring!
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!
Are you a public policymaker frustrated with the limited impact of your government’s policies? Do you see many policy ideas starting out with promise but ending up incomplete or ineffectively implemented? Are you trying to improve implementation? If so, you are not alone. Join with peers from around the globe for a dynamic, highly engaging blended learning format of Implementing…Continue Reading Apply for our Implementing Public Policy Program!
On Monday, March 3rd we hosted a virtual seminar featuring Greg Power OBE, Founder & Board Chair of Global Partners Governance and author of Inside the Political Mind: The Human Side of Politics and How It Shapes Development….Continue Reading Event: Inside the Political Mind: The Human Side of Politics
written by Salimah Samji At Building State Capability (BSC) we resolve public problems with purpose. The increasingly complex, interdependent, and uncertain world we live in requires more flexible and adaptive approaches to solve complex problems, making the core of our mission more important than ever. 2024 was a year of new beginnings for BSC. We…Continue Reading BSC 2024: Year in Review
On Monday, October 28th, we co-hosted a seminar with The People Lab featuring Dan Honig, BSC Associate, Associate Professor at Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy and University College London in conversation with Elizabeth Linos, Emma Bloomberg Associate Professor of Public Policy and Management at Harvard Kennedy School. In this talk, Dan Honig discusses the…Continue Reading Event: Motivation and Purpose in the Public Sector
Join us on Tuesday, October 8th for a seminar featuring Lant Pritchett, Research Director, Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP)….Continue Reading Event: Good Intentions, Great Laws, Terrible Outcomes
The Mirror Cracked? On Democracy, Welfare Politics, and India’s General Election featuring Yamini Aiyar, Senior Visiting Fellow at Brown University, was hosted at HKS on September 23, 2024. In this talk, Yamini discusses the intersections between welfare politics, state capability, and democratic institutions in India’s 2024 elections. She examines how direct benefit transfers and technology-driven…Continue Reading Event: The Mirror Cracked? On Democracy, Welfare Politics, and India’s General Election
In this talk, hosted at HKS on September 16, Rakesh Rajani shares candid reflections on the complexities of driving systemic change in government and development. Drawing on 25 years of experience in civil society and philanthropy, Rajani recounts personal stories of success and unexpected failure in Tanzania and beyond. He counters common assumptions about transparency, accountability, and…Continue Reading Event: Why Trust (not Money, Data, Evidence, Argument, Credentials) is the Currency of Change
We are offering Leading Economic Growth online again from September 30 – December 6th 2024. Application deadline is September 20th, 2024. 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!