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: Applying PDIA in Mozambique
We have released a new episode in our podcast series A Decade of Building State Capability. In this episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Cara Myers, who we met in 2018 when she took our MLD103 class as an MPAID student at the Harvard Kennedy School. In this episode, Cara discusses her work with Mozambique…Continue Reading New Podcast: Applying PDIA in Mozambique
Event: They Eat Our Sweat: Transport Labor, Corruption, and Survival in Urban Nigeria
The informal transportation network, characteristic of many African cities, is notoriously dangerous. In Lagos, drivers are constantly threatened and forced to pay bribes; they suffer health problems like hypertension and partial blindness, and accidents are common. Fear is a form of governance. The police and the union extract money from transport drivers and share it…Continue Reading Event: They Eat Our Sweat: Transport Labor, Corruption, and Survival in Urban Nigeria
The developing world needs to get ‘shoveling’
Guest blog by Yaveneshaa Madurai, LEG’23 The Harvard Kennedy School Leading Economic Growth (LEG) programme challenged me in quite a different way, than I’m ‘used to’. As a Strategist, I’m used to delivering things that are ‘neatly processed’ – you choose your ‘weapon of choice’ (a previously developed strategy model by one of the ‘gurus’,…Continue Reading The developing world needs to get ‘shoveling’
Low Private Sector Investment in Liberia
Guest blog by Marcus B. Zarway, LEG’23 Through the course, I learned many things; especially things related to my past and present work, as well as totally new ideas. I have developed and implemented catalytic private sector (entrepreneurship) and other development projects successful, and now supporting government agencies in reforms for economic development, unknowingly applying…Continue Reading Low Private Sector Investment in Liberia
Growing through Understanding: Tackling Namibia’s Income Inequality Problem
Guest blog by Anna Niita Etuna Nahambelelwe Shatika, LEG’23 Embarking on the Harvard course on Leading Economic Growth has been a transformative 10-week journey. Throughout the course, I gained invaluable insights and knowledge that will shape my approach to addressing the growth challenges faced by Namibia. In this blog, I will share key ideas and…Continue Reading Growing through Understanding: Tackling Namibia’s Income Inequality Problem
New Podcast: Andrew Lawson Reflects on his Evaluation of PDIA in Africa
We have released a new episode in our podcast series A Decade of Building State Capability. Our second episode of the series features Andrew Lawson who did an independent evaluation of PDIA during our work with CABRI in Africa in 2018, commissioned by the Gates Foundation. He published a related piece in the World Development Perspectives in September 2023….Continue Reading New Podcast: Andrew Lawson Reflects on his Evaluation of PDIA in Africa
New Podcast Series: A Decade of Building State Capability
This past year, Building State Capability (BSC) celebrated its 10-year anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, we are very excited to launch our new podcast series, A Decade of Building State Capability. This series will feature interviews with practitioners who reflect their engagement with Building State Capability over the past 10 years and their experience using…Continue Reading New Podcast Series: A Decade of Building State Capability
Reducing Income Inequality in South Africa
Guest blog by Sibusiso Thami Gambi, LEG’23 A key learning from the course is that, simply put: context matters. One cannot simply apply “best practices” blanketly. There is a ready example in South Africa’s public spending on education. The country’s spending (as a share of GDP) is higher than the OECD, but education outcomes have…Continue Reading Reducing Income Inequality in South Africa
Exploring Economic Complexity in South Africa
Guest blog by Yolanda Smit, LEG’23 Your problems are never what you think your problems are, and neither are your solutions. PDIA is helpful for problem identification and identifying the binding constraint but also as part of finding solutions. A key takeaway is that your problem is never what you think your problem is, and…Continue Reading Exploring Economic Complexity in South Africa