written by Matt Andrews The months of October, November and December are commonly busy in City Treasuries, Provincial Budget Bureaus and Ministries of Finance across the world. This is the time of year when these officials are finalizing their budget proposals and are getting ready to present the proposals to political representatives. More often than not, one expects to see revenue and expenditure plans for…Continue Reading How Should Governments Manage Budget Cuts of 20% (or more) in 2021?
Will Government Budgets in 2021 involve more COVID-19 ‘Whack-A-Mole’?
written by Matt Andrews Governments started 2020, as they do every year, with budgets that set out plans for raising and spending public money. Then COVID-19 hit, disrupting even the best laid plans and forcing officials to shift from planning to triage mode in the face of rapidly changing crisis conditions. According to a recent informal survey…Continue Reading Will Government Budgets in 2021 involve more COVID-19 ‘Whack-A-Mole’?
COVID-19 is Poised to Exacerbate the Learning Crisis, Evidence from Long-term School Closures in Pakistan
written by Marla Spivack The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and of the policies adopted to mitigate its spread will be drastic everywhere and particularly grim in low- and middle-income countries.1 As economies shrink, up to a decade of progress in poverty reduction could be undone. As health systems struggle, millions could go without treatment for preventable infectious diseases…Continue Reading COVID-19 is Poised to Exacerbate the Learning Crisis, Evidence from Long-term School Closures in Pakistan
New Online Program: Budgeting in a Time of Crisis
Governments across the world are facing a major budgeting crisis in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis raises important questions: All of these questions, and more, need to be addressed in the few months governments have left to develop their 2021 budgets. However, many of the processes and approaches to budgeting do not…Continue Reading New Online Program: Budgeting in a Time of Crisis
Charting a new course: Education systems after COVID-19
Written by Dzingai Mutumbuka and Marla Spivack We know that time away from school due to COVID-19 has undermined learning. Children are depending on education leaders – from high level officials to classroom teachers – to start planning now for a new focus on foundational skills. With bold action, and clear focus education systems can…Continue Reading Charting a new course: Education systems after COVID-19
Congo Calling Rebooted
Guest blog written by Bandi Mbubi At the beginning of 2019, Harvard Kennedy School invited me to apply for its executive program in Implementing Public Policy. The letter was timely as it arrived when I was reflecting on my life and considering my next moves. The more I read about the course, the more I was…Continue Reading Congo Calling Rebooted
Finding Leadership Confidence
Guest blog written by Crystal Nowlan When I was first invited by my municipality’s Mayor and CAO to register for the ‘Implementing Public Policy’ (IPP) course, I was incredibly honoured for the learning opportunity. I also felt the responsibility to ensure the learning would have a return on investment for our organization and taxpayers. But…Continue Reading Finding Leadership Confidence
Early Childhood Education in Brazil
Guest blog written by Beatriz Abuchaim A big headache. It was what I felt in the introductory class at Kennedy School. It was not my first experience at Harvard. I had taken a course in 2018 at Center on the Developing Child, but it didn’t have the same pressure I was feeling as a Public Policy…Continue Reading Early Childhood Education in Brazil
COVID Act Two: Look beyond your borders to navigate what comes next
Guest blog written by Peter Harrington and Ben French Act One of Covid is over. In places it has been frightening, in others orderly, and everywhere completely unprecedented. As we move into Act Two of this astonishing global drama, and a global recession on a scale not seen before, governments and leaders need to prepare themselves…Continue Reading COVID Act Two: Look beyond your borders to navigate what comes next
Flexibility and Learning in Times of Global Uncertainty
Guest blog written by Nahuel Arenas-García Nahuel and his team from Costa Rica successfully completed the 15-week Practice of PDIA online course that ended in May 2017. Between January and May 2017, authorities and technical staff of the Costa Rican National Risk Prevention and Emergency Management Commission (CNE, for its acronym in Spanish) joined staff of…Continue Reading Flexibility and Learning in Times of Global Uncertainty