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Nine lessons from LEG 2021: Economic diversification of Gabon

Guest blog by Milaine Rossanaly This course has benefited me tremendously. My background is in business administration so I intuitively understood concepts of growth, productivity, inclusion, binding constraints and others, but this course allowed me to understand them much better. I have a long list of take-aways from this course that I will apply in the…Continue Reading Nine lessons from LEG 2021: Economic diversification of Gabon

Falling in love with the problem, not the solution

Guest blog by Kyle Novak “Fall in love with the problem, not your solution.”  It’s a maxim that I first heard spoken a few years ago by USAID’s former Chief Innovation Officer Ann Mei Chang. I’ve found myself frequently reflecting on those words as I’ve been thinking about the challenges of implementing public policy. I spent…Continue Reading Falling in love with the problem, not the solution

The Lack of Decentralization of Power: Delivery of Public Service in Liberia

Liberian flags hanging

Guest blog by W. Lawrence Yealue, II Firstly, my expectation was to learn strategies and approaches to Implementing Public Policies. My expectation was exceeded by this program. The manner in which the program was conducted, the peer learning approach and Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA). The logical pathways and the appreciation for contextualization the learning acquired…Continue Reading The Lack of Decentralization of Power: Delivery of Public Service in Liberia

Lack of diversity in Mongolian exports: Effects on employment & productivity

Guest blog by Suzanna Sumkhuu Over the past 4 years, I have been working at the country’s development policy planning reform, streamlining legislative, institutional and policy mechanisms. On this journey, I have encountered two contrasting views: necessity for strong central planning systems vs abolish the government and leave everything to the market economy. Because Mongolia has…Continue Reading Lack of diversity in Mongolian exports: Effects on employment & productivity

Developing Economic Complexity in Western Australia’s remote, sparsely populated regional centres

Guest blog by Giles Tuffin 1. Some of the key insights I have learnt include: Just because your region produces raw goods (like iron ore) doesn’t mean that you should be making downstream goods from it (like steel). The raw goods are available on the open market, and can be easily shipped to your nearest port….Continue Reading Developing Economic Complexity in Western Australia’s remote, sparsely populated regional centres

Keys to Unlocking Policy Locks: Legal Education in Ukraine

Words "Legal Education" with magnifying glass

Guest blog by Artem Shaipov Having earned in 2018 a certificate for successful completion of the online series “The Practice of PDIA: Building capability by delivering results” offered by Building State Capability at the Harvard Center for International Development, I learned about the Implementing Public Policy Program (IPP) from the PDIA Community’s first newsletter. I jumped…Continue Reading Keys to Unlocking Policy Locks: Legal Education in Ukraine

The case for a New Development Strategic plan in Cameroon

Guest blog by Boris Owona, Senior Civil Administrator at the Cameroon Prime Minister’s Office I started this IPP program after completing the Emerging Leaders and Public Financial Management programs with a solid foundation of what public policies can look like in a bureaucratic setting. In fact, coming into the course, I felt quite satisfied with my…Continue Reading The case for a New Development Strategic plan in Cameroon

Tackling limited diversification and decreasing exports in Ethiopia

Guest blog by Yilma Nati Tefsu I want to start my answer to the final week of this amazing course by saying something different, something that has nothing to do with the question above but a reflection of the many positives I have gotten from this course and the great people I have met along the…Continue Reading Tackling limited diversification and decreasing exports in Ethiopia

Helping Current and Future Adolescent Girls Requires Bailing Out the Boat but Also Fixing the Hole

Guest blog written by Michelle Kaffenberger, Kirsty Newman, Marla Spivack Guaranteeing quality education for every girl requires a two-pronged approach: bailing out the boat and fixing the hole in its hull. We need to invest in today’s primary school girls—who are future adolescents—to ensure that they gain the foundational skills they need to start and…Continue Reading Helping Current and Future Adolescent Girls Requires Bailing Out the Boat but Also Fixing the Hole

Panama Embassy official writes about promoting US-Panama trade ties

Guest blog by Franklin Morales, Head of Commercial and Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Panama in the United States. A few years ago, I became a diplomat of my country in the United States.  Over time, I gained more responsibility until I became the Head of the Commercial and Economic Section. I am responsible…Continue Reading Panama Embassy official writes about promoting US-Panama trade ties