Sustained and Inclusive Economic Growth and Governance in Colombia

Guest blog by Ernesto Correa Valderrama, LEG ’24 

In Colombia, armed conflict, poverty, illicit crops and, although it may seem strange, even deforestation are located where there are no good quality roads. 

That was the basis on which the Transport Infrastructure Program Roads for Equity¹ was structured and awarded transparently in 2015 for more than USD 2 Billion, building hundreds of kilometers of paved roads with bridges and tunnels in regions with low political representation and traditionally separated from the national productive apparatus. That was the adaptive challenge presented in Professor Jorrit de Jong’s class at the Emerging Leaders 2014 Course at the Harvard Kennedy School (1). However, many more kilometers are needed to improve. 

Addressing the Increasing Spread of Chronic and Infectious Diseases in North Africa

Guest blog by Benjamin Musungu, IPP ’24

My IPP implementation challenge was far from typical! When I first landed in Sahrawi Republic on April 2023, I was not sure of what to expect. I was half-excited and half-anxious to lead a high-stakes health diplomacy visit in a distant country fraught with geopolitical uncertainties and unknowns. The objective of the visit was to secure political buy-in and goodwill needed for the implementation of a COVID-19 vaccination project that was co-led by my organization (Africa Centers for Disease Control). This was a make-or-break engagement for the project, so I had to spend tons of time flipping through the health diplomacy tradecrafts that I could use to make the visit a success.

Charting a Path to Economic Mobility: From Braven’s Mission to Puerto Rico’s Potential

Guest blog by Jonathan Chaparro, LEG ’24 

As I reflect on my career, one theme has continually fueled my passion: the belief in the transformative power of philanthropy to create meaningful, lasting change. Over the years, this belief has guided my work at Braven, where I’ve had the privilege of advancing our mission to empower underrepresented college students with the skills, mindsets, experiences, and social capital they need to secure strong first jobs that propel upward mobility. Yet, through the lens of my work and personal roots, part of my attention has increasingly turned toward the challenges and opportunities facing Puerto Rico, a place deeply connected to my upbringing and my familial history.  

New Podcast: Structure with Marshall Ganz

Blog by Adin Becker

We have released a new episode in our podcast series Leadership, Organizing, and Action featuring HKS Professor Marshall Ganz. In the sixth and final episode of this series, Marshall Ganz discusses creating structure as an essential practice in organizing. He explains that structure is not a rigid hierarchy, but rather the commitments that people make in order to work together toward collective goals. Drawing on his extensive experience in organizing, Ganz introduces four structural tensions that organizations will navigate: Change vs. continuity, inclusion vs. exclusion, unity vs. diversity, and parts vs. whole.

New Podcast: Action with Marshall Ganz

Blog by Adin Becker

We have released a new episode in our podcast series Leadership, Organizing, and Action featuring HKS Professor Marshall Ganz. In the fifth episode of this series, Ganz discusses action as the transition point where organizing moves from theory to reality. He explains that action is the mobilization and utilization of resources; it’s where “the rubber hits the road.” Pulling from his experiences in the Farm Workers movement and other organizing campaigns, Ganz notes the principle that “if you can’t count it, it didn’t happen,” reflecting the importance of measurable outcomes in creating lasting change. According to Ganz, action is what connect strategy to tangible outcomes, moving from “heart work” and “head work” to the “hands work” that actually changes the facts on the ground.

Making it Look Like You’re Doing, and Making it Look Like it Works? Do the Work!

Guest blog by Silvia Lara Povedano, IPP ’24

As a government official and consultant for international development organizations, in recent years, a voice began echoing in my head, saying, “Something about what I’m doing is not right. Deep down, I know this isn’t going to work, no matter how passionately I speak or how carefully I choose my words.”

New Podcast: Strategy with Marshall Ganz

Blog by Adin Becker

We have released a new episode in our podcast series Leadership, Organizing, and Action featuring HKS Professor Marshall Ganz. In the fourth episode of this series, Ganz discusses the essential practice of strategy in leadership and organizing, outlining the way it addresses the “how” of change-making. Ganz introduces the foundational concept that we are all natural strategists, pointing toward everyday situations like figuring out how to get to class or work on time after oversleeping. Through vivid storytelling, including the Biblical story of David and Goliath, he demonstrates how strategy isn’t about how many resources you have, but rather how effectively we use what we have to achieve our goals.

The Elated PDIA Enthusiast: Minimizing Waste in Johannesburg

Guest blog written by Pinky Ferland, IPP ’24

Are you struggling with implementing your organizational or country policy? If your answer is yes, then read on and experience the journey I travelled with Harvard Kennedy School which led to my capability of implementing my organizational policy with success.

A catalyst for change – that is what I have labeled the PDIA course. Designed to assist technocrats around the world to solve complex organizational or country problems. The course introduces a different method of implementing that beautifully narrated policy which everyone in the office seems not to have the capability of implementing it.

The PDIA method helped me on the problem I continue to solve for my organization which is: Inability of the municipal entity of the City of Johannesburg, in South Africa to implement its waste minimization strategy. A strategy was meant to ensure that by 2026 no waste goes to the landfill sites as the airspace has diminished significantly.

Addressing Ineffective District Youth Development Councils in Papua New Guinea

Guest blog by Dorah Asera, Carl Geckoban, Steven Nining, David Rupa, Janet Yembinei

Twelve weeks ago, eight (8) staff from the National Youth Development Authority of Papua New Guinea signed up for the Harvard University’s PDIA Course, delivered through The Voice Incorporated, in partnership with the Australian Government. Out from the eight (8), five (5) enthusiastic youth development workers from various backgrounds within the agency were clustered together to form a team in addressing one of the most critical and important problems, which is the youth development agenda.

Launching the Leadership, Organizing, and Action Podcast Series

Blog by Adin Becker

We’re excited to launch a new podcast series, Leadership, Organizing, and Action,featuring Marshall Ganz. Marshall Ganz is the Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing and Civil Society at HKS and one of the world’s leading authorities on democratic organizing. Our 6-part podcast series walks you through the five key practices discussed in his book People, Power, Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal. Each episode provides practical strategies to learn the leadership and organizing craft.