Harvard University homepage
HARVARD.EDU

Category: News & Updates

Internal category of news and update posts

New Podcast: Reflections on Applying PDIA to PFM in Africa

  • Publication date June 3, 2024
Danielle Serebro presenting at a CABRI conference in South Africa

We have released a new episode in our podcast series A Decade of Building State Capability. In this episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Joana Bento and Danielle Serebro, Programme Managers at Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI). They discuss the Building Public Finance Capabilities (BPFC) programme, developed by BSC in collaboration with CABRI in…Continue Reading New Podcast: Reflections on Applying PDIA to PFM in Africa

PDIA Toolkit Available in Arabic!

  • Publication date May 7, 2024
Arabic PDIA toolkit cover

We are excited to see the PDIA methodology being utilized and adapted in many countries around the world. In an effort to continue making our tools and materials more accessible, we have translated our PDIA Toolkit into other languages including French, German, Indonesian, Khmer, Portuguese, and Spanish. We are delighted to announce the PDIA Toolkit…Continue Reading PDIA Toolkit Available in Arabic!

Apply for our Implementing Public Policy Program!

Building a bridge

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!

Redefining Development Policy and Management

  • Publication date February 12, 2024
Flags of the world

written by Matt Andrews I teach international development policy and management courses – to degree program and executive students. Twenty years ago, my classrooms were dominated by people from what we used to call (and still call) ‘developing countries’. These are typically poorer countries in the global south, that are the prime customers of development…Continue Reading Redefining Development Policy and Management

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

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

BSC 2023: The Year in Review

  • Publication date January 8, 2024
BSC Team photo: Anisha Poobalan, Matt Andrews, Salimah Samji, Daniel Barjum, and Kathryn Lang

written by Salimah Samji Building State Capability (BSC) resolves public problems with purpose. We have developed a step-by-step approach called Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA), a dynamic process with tight feedback loops that allows organizations to build their own solutions that fit their local context. PDIA empowers action, facilitates the emergence of local solutions, and…Continue Reading BSC 2023: The Year in Review

Apply for our Strategies for Inclusive Growth Executive Program!

  • Publication date January 5, 2024
Aerial image of income disparity in South African neighborhoods

We are offering Strategies for Inclusive Growth at the Harvard Kennedy School from April 28 – May 3rd 2024. Application deadline is March 25th, 2024. Paths to economic prosperity are rapidly evolving. Policymakers struggle to meet economic goals as growth remains unsustainable, non-inclusive, or just plain stuck. Organizations often rely on one-size-fits-all approaches that fail to meet…Continue Reading Apply for our Strategies for Inclusive Growth Executive Program!

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