Harvard Center for International Development

Salimah Samji, CID's Building State Capability Program Director, interviews Matt Andrews, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and Lant Pritchett, Professor of the Practice of International Development at Harvard Kennedy School on their recently launched book "Building State Capability - Evidence, Analysis, Action". Michael Woolcock, Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School is also a co-author. Recorded on the book launch event on February 13th, 2017. The book uses data to identify failures in efforts to build state capability in development, employs theory to explain why these failures are common and likely to persist-keeping countries in capability traps--and builds on applied experience to offer a new approach to build state capability more effectively. ‘Building State Capability provides anyone interested in promoting development with practical advice on how to proceed—not by copying imported theoretical models, but through an iterative learning process that takes into account the messy reality of the society in question. The authors draw on their collective years of realworld experience as well as abundant data and get to what is truly the essence of the development problem.’ Francis Fukuyama, Stanford University;

CID Research Francisco Muci, Program Assistant at CID, interviews Francisco Marquez Lara, a Harvard Kennedy School MPP’12 alumnus who was held as a political prisoner in Venezuela. Francisco describes his experience and the context that led to his imprisonment. Recorded on November 28, 2016 About the Speaker: Francisco Marquez Lara is a Venezuelan lawyer and polítical activist with the Voluntad Popular party. He was held as a political prisoner in Venezuela for four months. Throughout this time he was detained in four facilities under three organizations. This is the story of what he lived through and witnessed. Before his imprisonment, Marquez was Chief of Staff for the Mayor of El Hatillo in Caracas. He obtained his law degree at Catholic University Andres Bello and his Master in Public Policy degree at Harvard Kennedy School.

CID Student Ambassador Mayra Salazar-Rivera interviews Roberto Martinez Yllescas, Head of OECD Mexico Centre. Roberto discusses Latin America's participation in global value chains and his views on how change in the NAFTA agreement could impact Mexico and the U.S. Recorded on December 2nd, 2016. About the Roberto Martinez: As head of the OECD Mexico Centre, Roberto Martínez Yllescas (MPP '95) works to increase the OECD's relevance and impact in Mexico and Latin America. Roberto was previously Chief of Staff to Commissioner Labardini as one of the founders of Mexico's Federal Telecommunications Institute. Previously, he was a Senior Advisor in the Secretariat of Communications and Transport in Mexico. He has over fifteen years of experience working in governmental, multilateral organizations and private sector companies as Government Affairs manager in Mexico at Intel Corp, as well as Central-Southern Regional Chief for the National Telecommunications, Electronics and IT Industry Association of Mexico. He has also been a senior consultant to the United Nations Development Programme, USAID and Mexico's Centre for Intellectual Capital and Competitiveness. Mr. Martínez Yllescas, a Mexican national, holds a BA in International Relations from El Colegio de México, a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government

CID Research Fellow Tim McNaught interviews Duncan Green, Oxfam Strategic Adviser and LSE Professor of International Development on his latest book, "How Change Happens". Recorded on December 7th, 2016. "How Change Happens" explores how political and social change takes place, and the role of individuals and organizations in influencing that change. In the book, Duncan discusses the challenges that ‘systems thinking’ creates for traditional activism and aid, and how a ‘power and systems approach’ requires activists, whether in campaigns, companies or governments, to fundamentally rethink the way they understand the world and try to influence it.

CID has launched its new Security and Development Seminar Series and over the 2016-2017 academic year, it will host four high-level discussions exploring the intersections between security, growth, and development in Latin America. CID Student Ambassador Gustavo Payan-Luna interviews the speakers from the 2nd session, which explored how trafficking in illicit drugs, weapons, and persons by transnational criminal organizations impedes development in many Latin American countries, with a focus on Colombia. Speakers: •Daniel Mejia, Secretary of Security of Bogota, Colombia •Steven Dudley, Co-director, InSight Crime, Wilson Center •João M P De Mello, Lemann Visiting Scholar at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies The interview took place on December 1st, 2016. More information about the event and the speakers can be found at: growthlab.cid.harvard.edu/security-and…minar-series

CID has launched its new Security and Development Seminar Series and over the 2016-2017 academic year, it will host four high-level discussions exploring the intersections between security, growth, and development in Latin America. This is an interview with speakers from the 1st session, which explored how corruption and impunity obstruct development in Latin America, with a focus on Mexico and it took place on October 27th, 2016. More information about the event and the speakers can be found at: http://growthlab.cid.harvard.edu/security-and-development-seminar-series

CID Student Ambassador Hubert Wu interviews James Breiding, Research Associate at CID on his upcoming book "Too small to fail: why small countries are outperforming larger ones and what lessons can be learned". Recorded on November 18th, 2016. ‘Too Small to Fail’ analyzes a number of successful countries that have created virtues out of their physical limitations. It attempts to understand what they do differently and why they seem to do it better. Why are they better-educated, more egalitarian, and wealthier? R.James Breiding is the author of Swiss Made - The Untold Story behind Switzerland's Success. Published in 10 languages and offered by 50 Swiss ambassadors as a diplomatic gift, ‘Swiss Made’ has become the most authoritative work on Swiss socio-economic history. Mr. Breiding is a graduate of IMD Lausanne and the Harvard Kennedy School. He has been selected as a fellow by Harvard University's Center for International Development in connection with his research on Swiss Made. His work has been widely published in publications like the Economist, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, etc. He worked as a chartered accountant and senior manager at Price Waterhouse Coopers; a director at NM Rothschild + Sons; and managing director at Templeton Investment. He founded, with the assistance of Sir John Templeton and other prominent investors, Naissance Capital, a Swiss ‘boutique’ Investment firm. He is a Swiss citizen.

Interview with one of our Guest Speakers at CID's Speaker Series: Angelica Natera, Executive Director of Laspau Recorded on October 14th, 2016. CID.HARVARD.EDU About Angelica: Angélica Natera is the Executive Director of Laspau: an organization affiliated with Harvard University that has contributed to the educational development of thousands of individuals in Latin America through scholarship programs and knowledge exchange opportunities. With more than 25 years of professional experience, including 14 years at Harvard, she has worked on the design and management of educational programs for public and private universities, governmental agencies, private companies and non-profit organizations in Latin America, Spain and the United States. In working with different regions in the world, Angélica has developed extensive expertise and a deep understanding of global trends and innovation in higher education.

CID Student Ambassador Cassandra Ling interviews Priyadarshani Joshi, a researcher with the Global Education Monitoring Report, housed in UNESCO. Priya discusses the recently published "2016 Global Education Monitoring Report", an editorially independent report published by UNESCO. Recorded on November 16th, 2016. This report has been mandated by the international education community to monitor the progress of the global goal of education in the new UN agenda (2016 - 2030). The Report presents a comprehensive vision of the ways in which education is linked to the other 16 sustainable development goals, and details the implications for monitoring the education goal (SDG 4). The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion. Priyadarshani Joshi is from Nepal and is a researcher with the Global Education Monitoring Report, housed in UNESCO. She joined the team in 2014, and her chief emphasis has been on articulating education's role in the post-2015 sustainable development agenda. She has a PhD in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania. Her personal research agenda focuses on the consequences of private sector growth for the public sector, parental choice, and system wide quality and equity in the education sector in developing countries. Prior to her doctoral work, her professional backgrounds included research positions at the IMF and consultancies at UNICEF and the World Bank. Priya also initiated, co-designed and was part of the board of an innovative mobile library project in Nepal, one of the World Bank Development Marketplace 2003 Education Sector Project winners. Priya holds an undergraduate degree in Economics and Chemistry from Amherst College, and a Master’s in Public Administration (Economic Policy) from Princeton University.

Interview with CID research fellows on the Venezuela Project Team: Douglas Barrios and Miguel Angel Santos. Recorded on November 4th, 2016. Venezuela is currently undergoing the worst economic crisis in its history. By the end of 2016, more than 30% of the gross domestic product (GDP) it had three years ago will be lost. Poverty has soared to record levels. Monthly inflation rates are gradually approaching hyperinflation. Shortages of basic food staples and medicines are rampant. In order to promote a better understanding of the causes, magnitudes, and possible remedies of the crisis, the Center for International Development (CID) at Harvard University launched a research initiative on Venezuela at the end of 2015. To learn more about this work and some preliminary findings, visit our project page. Members of our research team will share their experiences and preview their findings at this seminar.