Harvard University homepage
HARVARD.EDU

Tag: Development

Complexities of multiple stakeholders in developing hydroelectricity in Pakistan

A closeup view of hydroelectricity infrastructure

Guest blog by Masood Ul Mulk I lead a public service organization (nonprofit) working in the northwest border regions of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan, known for its turbulence, delivering development and humanitarian aid. The government presence is thin on the ground and service delivery in the region remains poor. Government policies change rapidly, as individuals and personalities…Continue Reading Complexities of multiple stakeholders in developing hydroelectricity in Pakistan

On being and becoming a “development expert”

Block letters spelling "Expert" with soft focus world map in background

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, on what it means to be a “development expert”, especially as it pertains to engaging with social institutions. For better or worse, I now have…Continue Reading On being and becoming a “development expert”

Can PDIA approaches help to enhance the development of Institutional Strategies in Multilateral Organizations

Guest blog written by Francisco Castro-y-Ortíz I work for a multilateral development organization—the Inter-American Development Bank—and am a citizen from a Latin-American Middle-Income Country (MIC). Because of this background, the main economic problem I am most concerned about relates to my own country—Mexico—and the Latin-American and Caribbean region (LAC) as a whole. It is about…Continue Reading Can PDIA approaches help to enhance the development of Institutional Strategies in Multilateral Organizations

We recently ran a PDIA course on climate change adaptation. Why?

written by Tim O’Brien Leader of farming cooperative in central Sri Lanka that diversified into ginger production as drought increasingly hurt rice cultivation. If you live in a developed country, odds are that you think about climate change as something that will harm future generations — your children or your grandchildren perhaps. But if you…Continue Reading We recently ran a PDIA course on climate change adaptation. Why?

Best Practice is a Pipe Dream: The AK47 vs M16 debate and development practice

written by Lant Pritchett At a recent holiday party I was discussing organizations and innovations with a friend of mine who teaches at the Harvard Business School about organizations and is a professor and student about technology and history.  I told him I was thinking about the lessons for the development “best practice” mantra from…Continue Reading Best Practice is a Pipe Dream: The AK47 vs M16 debate and development practice

The New Global Goals Spell the End of Kinky Development

written by Lant Pritchett The UN’s post-2015 “Sustainable Development Goals” (or “Global Goals”) debuted to decidedly mixed reviews. Phyllis Pomerantz points out that with 169 targets “if everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.” Bill Easterly refers to the SDG as “senseless, dreamy, garbled,” Lord Mark Malloch Brown’s called them “higgedly-piggedly,” Charles Kenny describes…Continue Reading The New Global Goals Spell the End of Kinky Development

A new era for development – the future or already reality?

Guest blog by Arnaldo Pellini Michael Woolcock, the Lead Social Development Specialist at the World Bank, gave the keynote speech at the International Conference on Best Development Practices and Policies organized by the State Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) on August, 19-20 in Jakarta. He is one of the leading voices in the debate around…Continue Reading A new era for development – the future or already reality?