North America – Building State Capability

Coordinating Workforce Development Services in Rural Arizona

Publication date November 18, 2024

Guest blog by Jeremy Flowers, IPP ’24 I was born and raised in New England, where Harvard University holds mythological levels of prestige. So, when I applied for the Kennedy School’s Implementing Public Policy program, I expected knowledge and skills that couldn’t be obtained anywhere else, and world-class presentations by dazzlingly brilliant professors. I was…Continue Reading Coordinating Workforce Development Services in Rural Arizona

Exploring the lack of access to revenue in Wyoming

Publication date October 9, 2024

Guest blog by Tom Brauer, Justin D. Farley, Amber Pollock In Wyoming, much like throughout the United States, communities lack access to revenue and control of the revenue-raising mechanisms needed to self-determine their future. Over the past 12 weeks, The Wild Optimists have been immersed in the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) course, where we’ve grown…Continue Reading Exploring the lack of access to revenue in Wyoming

Addressing Business Sustainability in Star Valley, Wyoming

Publication date October 7, 2024

A woman stands behing an "Open" sign at her small business

Guest blog by Sarah Hale, Mason Koch, Violet Sanderson, Devin J Simpson The SOAR Team selected Business Sustainability as their project for the 12-week course. Our goal was to figure out what was needed in order for area businesses in Star Valley, Wyoming to not only survive (a difficult task in its own right), but…Continue Reading Addressing Business Sustainability in Star Valley, Wyoming

Addressing Behavioral Health in Casper, Wyoming: A Community-Driven Approach Using PDIA

Publication date September 20, 2024

Two people's heads, each with a string. One is tangled representing poor behavioral health.

Guest blog by Tina A. Hoebelheinrich, Anna Kinder, Sabrina Kemper The Wyoming Business Council recently convened a diverse group of community leaders to address a pressing issue using the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) framework. This powerful approach, which empowers communities to tackle complex problems by breaking them into manageable components, was the perfect fit for…Continue Reading Addressing Behavioral Health in Casper, Wyoming: A Community-Driven Approach Using PDIA

Using PDIA to Reduce Gun Violence in New York

Publication date September 18, 2024

Pablo Uribe thought he was done with fighting crime. That was his job as the deputy security director of his hometown of Cali, Colombia. He’d had success with reducing the murder rate there, but was feeling burned out by the work. So when Uribe left to get his master’s at the Harvard Kennedy School, he…Continue Reading Using PDIA to Reduce Gun Violence in New York

Navigating the Challenges of Diversity and Public Engagement in Wyoming

Publication date July 12, 2024

Guest blog by Amy Quick, LEG ’23 I had the unique privilege of being able to engage in the PDIA process and problem identification prior to beginning this fall’s Leading Economic Growth course, allowing me to bring some real-world experience to the classroom and intellectual component. The State of Wyoming has been working with the Harvard…Continue Reading Navigating the Challenges of Diversity and Public Engagement in Wyoming

Addressing Economic Challenges in Wyoming

Publication date June 21, 2024

Guest blog by Renny MacKay, LEG ’23 The LEG course offered incredible ideas related to understanding the economics of growth – or the lack thereof – specific to countries and metro areas. The product space illustrates a path towards expanding industries, growth diagnostics help to use price signals to best identify what is binding expansion….Continue Reading Addressing Economic Challenges in Wyoming

Hiring Personnel for the City and County of Honolulu, USA

Publication date May 20, 2024

Guest blog by Krishna Jayaram, IPP ’23 The Implementing Public Policy Course taught me that a successful and sustainable approach to truly complex problems requires me to be out of my comfort zone of being in command (and control) and therefore on target and on time. Instead, I have to approach issues with an open…Continue Reading Hiring Personnel for the City and County of Honolulu, USA

Economic Resilience in Wyoming

Publication date May 17, 2024

Guest blog by Ron Gullberg, LEG ’23 Lions and camels and hippos, oh my! The Leading Economic Growth (LEG) course provided the necessary tools – and wild kingdom metaphors – to navigate the complexities of identifying and addressing binding constraints to growth in Wyoming as a state and in communities….Continue Reading Economic Resilience in Wyoming

Second Chances for Indiana: Key Learnings and Insights

Publication date April 19, 2024

Guest blog by Andrea Cuellar, Fabio Ostermann, Nanditha Menon As a team working on the problem of high recidivism in Marion County, Indiana, we have been through an enriching journey utilizing the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) framework. This course has broadened our understanding and provided valuable insights into tackling this complex issue, using coherent small…Continue Reading Second Chances for Indiana: Key Learnings and Insights