Blog

New Podcast: Michael Woolcock Shares how he has Applied PDIA at the World Bank

Michael Woolcock presenting

We have released a new episode in our podcast series A Decade of Building State Capability. For our third episode of the series, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Michael Woolcock, a co-author of the Building State Capability book. In this episode, Michael discusses the process of coming up with the PDIA approach to help development practitioners…Continue Reading New Podcast: Michael Woolcock Shares how he has Applied PDIA at the World Bank

Low Private Sector Investment in Liberia

Aerial view of Monrovia, 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

Windhoek, Namibia neighborhood

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

Rapid Inflation and its Implication in the UAE

United Arab Emirates cityscape

Guest blog by Tariq Alsuwaidi, LEG’23 The realization that addressing inflation is essential to achieving sustainable economic development is one of the most important things that may be gained from taking this course. For instance, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suffered from the negative impacts of excessive inflation, such as a drop in buying…Continue Reading Rapid Inflation and its Implication in the UAE

New Podcast: Andrew Lawson Reflects on his Evaluation of PDIA in Africa

Matt Andrews presenting at CABRI with Andrew Lawson in the audience

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

Event: Reflecting on a Decade of Building State Capability around the World

Salimah Samji presenting to audience members

Over the past decade, we have engaged with over 3,500 practitioners in 148 countries. At a recent event, our team discussed the evolution of PDIA and its pedagogical methods, as well as shared reflections on their journey of building capability and igniting change. The event featured a presentation reviewing our work since 2012 and featured…Continue Reading Event: Reflecting on a Decade of Building State Capability around the World

New Podcast Series: A Decade of Building State Capability

Awa Touray presenting at CABRI

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