Complexity is Simple with PDIA
Guest blog written by Ahmad Aljazaeri After many years working in the for-profit private sector, I moved about two years ago into a government-owned company that was set up several […]
Complexity
On being and becoming a “development expert”
written by Michael Woolcock Half-way through my HKS course on ‘Social Institutions and Economic Development’ I host a class, usually timed to be given on the eve of spring break, […]
Why do public policies fail? Categorizing the challenges
written by Matt Andrews Governments—and other public policy organizations—undertake many different tasks, implementing a diverse set of policies and projects. Many of these policies and projects are not considered successful. […]
PMRDF: an Innovative State Capability Experiment in India
written by Salimah Samji. Anyone who has ever worked in India knows how hard it is to implement programs. The sheer size of the country makes it impossible for anyone […]
BSC Video 10: Specifying the Design Space
The design space of actual development projects is complex, granular, and nuanced. In this video, Lant Pritchett, uses a simple example of a design space for teacher training to illustrate […]
BSC Video 5: Typology of Tasks by Capability Intensity needed for Implementation
It is important when thinking about building state capability, to first ask, what is the “type of problem” you are trying to solve? In this video, Lant Pritchett, provides a […]
BSC Video 4: Capability for Policy Implementation
Policy implementation requires agents of organizations who are responsible for implementation, to do the right thing, at the right time, and in the right place. In this video, Lant Pritchett, […]
What’s in a counterfactual?
written by Salimah Samji I am amazed by people’s obsession with the counterfactual, and how evidence cannot exist without it. Why are people so enamored by the idea of ‘the solution’ even […]