Guest blog by Aadam Soulebon My expectations: When I was offered to sign up for the online version of this program, at first glance, I had concerns. This was my very first HKS course. Indeed, I was afraid that the resulting interaction would not add a substantial value to me besides the class materials. I was…Continue Reading Impact of COVID-19 on Benin Republic’s Economy
Guest blog by Batjargal Khandjav The Leading Economic Growth Program has been an absolutely inspiring intellectual journey for me during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. It was a unique opportunity to reflect on key principles of economic growth while using toolset to better understand the unfolding of policy choices and drivers of economic growth for my own country….Continue Reading Promoting agricultural sector products to diversify the economy in Mongolia
Guest blog by Alexandra Bhatti What an exciting, challenging, eye-opening learning and growing experience this has been for me. When I first explored the course, I was skeptical about the ratio of theoretical learning versus practice-based learning I would experience as I have spent many years studying “policy” and related fields. Listening to alumni feedback encouraged…Continue Reading ‘Don’t be so invested in the solution that you’re unwilling to change course’
Guest blog by Puneet Balasubramanian I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit. – John F Kennedy (1962) The current global crisis caused by COVID-19 has once…Continue Reading The luxury of long-term planning in a predictable environment has outlived its shelf-life
Guest blog written by Calli Wilsey During one of our first sessions, I remember Professor Andrews speaking about complex problems and the need to address these issues with a new approach typically not used by public policy professionals and government agencies. As he described the problems he has witnessed with the traditional “plan and control” implementation…Continue Reading Rolling out COVID relief programs in Reno using the PDIA approach
Guest blog written by Deepa Singal Participating in the Executive Education program, “Implementing Public Policy” at the Harvard Kennedy School was a dynamic, motivating and humbling experience. Our global cohort consisted of emerging leaders and seasoned policy experts from multiple sectors and countries, all with the shared purpose of making a positive impact in the world….Continue Reading It is the journey, not the destination that truly matters
written by Marla Spivack By ensuring that all girls are receiving inclusive, effective instruction in well-functioning education systems, we can grow closer to achieving SDG 4’s promise of universal literacy and numeracy and lifelong learning. Today is International Women’s Day. Among the unprecedented challenges that COVID-19 presents, there are many, many, many issues in women’s lives that deserve urgent…Continue Reading To Improve Women’s Lives, Start by Improving Girls’ Education
Guest blog written by Robert Trewartha To be honest, I was “volun-told” into this course by the Mayor. I had joined her for the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative in 2019-20 and learned a great deal. This opportunity came along at a time when we were in the height of managing the COVID-19 pandemic in our…Continue Reading Top 10 Things I learned from Leading Economic Growth
Guest blog written by Sandra Naranjo Bautista Last October, I was a guest lecturer at Harvard’s Executive Education Program, Budgeting Through Crisis. I talked about my experience as a minister during Ecuador’s 2016 earthquake with Salimah Samji, Director of the Building State Capability Program. Our conversation brought up memories that motivated me to write this blog. You can also…Continue Reading Public policy during a crisis: 3 Lessons learned from Ecuador’s earthquake
Guest blog written by Carmen Belafi COVID-19 will exacerbate the learning crisis. Causing schools to close around the world, the pandemic disrupted education as we know it. But the COVID-19 shock to education systems will likely cause severe and long-term learning losses that are far bigger than the ‘mere’ time schools were closed. Learning losses can…Continue Reading RISE Launches Interactive Data Visualisations Estimating Long-Term Learning Losses from COVID-19 School Closures
