Research Newsletter

Dear Subscriber,

We are pleased to announce the launch of the newly redesigned Building State Capability website: bsc.cid.harvard.edu!

Over the past seven months we have worked hard to reimagine the purpose and functionality of our website. We have thought deeply about how we can further our commitment to make our tools and approach publicly accessible to those who need them the most – putting you in the driver’s seat of your learning journey.

The new redesign features an interactive map providing the ability to view our work (by country and project), offers self-paced video and audio guides, integrates our blog, and highlights our tools, training, publications, and video recordings of our events. It allows you to easily search by topic or geographic region of interest, making it an invaluable resource for policy practitioners worldwide. It also meets digital accessibility standards.

In this issue, we highlight key features and content hosted on our new website. We hope you enjoy exploring our website, watching our new video, and learning more about our work!

Salimah Samji
Director, Building State Capability

A globe sits atop on a table in library setting

Global Reach

We have trained and directly engaged with over 3,500 practitioners in 148 countries.

Learn more about our work and projects.

Tools

We have a wide variety of tools and resources available to learn about our PDIA approach.

Learn more about our tools.

Student seated in an HKS Executive Education classroom look towards the instructor

Training

We train and equip practitioners and policymakers around the world with the tools and resources to solve complex public problems.

Learn more about our training programs.

Blog

We have over 600 blog posts written by practitioners and policymakers on their experience using PDIA.

Explore our blog.

Featured Research

A Public Value Approach to Analyzing and Intervening in National Educational Systems

RISE Essay
Mark Moore and Marla Spivack

Responding Adaptively to the COVID-19 Crisis in Indonesia: Insights and Implications from an Indonesian Governance Program

Working Paper
Maliki Achmad, Graham Teskey, Anna Winoto, and Michael Woolcock

Public policy actors view success differently, and it matters

Working Paper
Matt Andrews

A classroom of students looks at Professor Matt Andrews

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

About Building State Capability

At Building State Capability, we believe that problems are entry points to change and working in teams is the vehicle for change. We train public sector teams around the world to work iteratively to solve their own nominated problems. This new ‘about BSC’ video showcases our work over the past decade.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Daniel Agbiboa and Salimah Samji seated at the front of a room while students watch on

They Eat Our Sweat: Transport Labor, Corruption, and Survival in Urban Nigeria

In Lagos, drivers are constantly threatened and forced to pay bribes; they suffer health problems like hypertension and partial blindness, and accidents are common. Fear is a form of governance. In this book talk, Daniel Agbiboa shares his experience as a minibus conductor in Lagos to better understand the culture and complexity of corruption.

Students seated in an event space at Harvard Kennedy School

From Elections to Governing: Getting Beyond Politics to Get Things Done

In government, the focus is often on policy, legislative wins, and budget dollars. However, the key components often missing are successful execution and implementation. In this book talk, Steve Kadish shares a methodology developed by Governor Charlie Baker and himself to move from identifying problems to achieving results.