Category: Latin America & Caribbean

Learnings from LEG & Exploring Growth Challenges in El Salvador

Guest Blog by Abdi Aguirre, LEG ’22 When I enrolled in the Leading Economic Growth Program of the Harvard Kennedy School, I thought that I was clear about the economic challenge I wanted to address along the course. As part of the admission process, they ask you to write some lines about it, so I believed…Continue Reading Learnings from LEG & Exploring Growth Challenges in El Salvador

Tackling corrupt taxation practices in Trinidad & Tobago through PDIA

Guest blog by Amrita Deonarine, IPP 2021 I came across this methodology of Problem-driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) in 2020 at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic when global energy prices plummeted, triggering supply shocks, demand shocks, and a health crisis all at the same time. The consequences of this triple whammy almost severed the revenue…Continue Reading Tackling corrupt taxation practices in Trinidad & Tobago through PDIA

Driving Financial Inclusion in Peru using PDIA Approach

Guest blog by Jennifer A. Infantas, IPP 2021 When we think about designing public policies, we need to understand the needs that we are trying to solve and who will be our target beneficiaries. But what about having the responsibility to implement those policies? Probably it might be as hard or even more complicated, challenging,…Continue Reading Driving Financial Inclusion in Peru using PDIA Approach

Using PDIA to Tackle Educational Inequities in Brazil

Students learning

Guest blog by Cesar Nunes, IPP 2021 It was a joy to know that the new edition of the Implementing Public Policy (IPP) course would be offered in 2021. I knew about the Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approach and was already following the Building State Capabilities website and YouTube channel. I had already read…Continue Reading Using PDIA to Tackle Educational Inequities in Brazil

Using Inquiry as a Strategy in PDIA to transform Barbados Education System

Guest blog by Doreen King, IPP 2021 Coming into the program, I had a pretty good sense of what to expect, given that I’d already taken 2 Harvard Kennedy School courses with Matt Andrews, which covered some of the material. What I wasn’t prepared for, was the group dynamic of working on a weekly group…Continue Reading Using Inquiry as a Strategy in PDIA to transform Barbados Education System

PDIA — or for me, Please Do It Atypically

Guest blog written by Leticia Born, IPP 2021 It took me some time to really understand what PDIA (Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation) is all about. By the end of the IPP Online I was able to expand my thinking beyond having access to useful tools that will support me in identifying realistic ways of thinking about…Continue Reading PDIA — or for me, Please Do It Atypically

PDIA to accelerate energy transitions and net zero economies in LAC

Image of a Dam

Guest blog written by Alfonso Blanco Bonilla I have the honor of leading the Latin American Energy Organization since 2017. OLADE is the international organization formed by 27 LAC countries, represented by their governments, to act in support of the development of the energy sector in the Latin American and Caribbean región (LAC). During my…Continue Reading PDIA to accelerate energy transitions and net zero economies in LAC

Implementing good decisions in my life: Applying IPP to the judicial system in Colombia

National Capitol, Colombia

Guest blog written by Catalina Mesa Ramirez The best decision at the right time. When we felt that a pandemic had overtaken us, when we observed that despite scientific progress in the creation of the long-awaited vaccine against Covid 19, its different sub-classifications were still a threat to humans and even more importantly, becoming vulnerable…Continue Reading Implementing good decisions in my life: Applying IPP to the judicial system in Colombia

Implementing effective public policies in Peru

Guest blog written by Alexandra Ames One of the greatest concerns of public servants in Peru is to achieve effective public policies, that is, that all the effort and resources invested become real results for the benefit of the people. But being involved in the policy-making process is not a simple task, we must recognize…Continue Reading Implementing effective public policies in Peru