In this 6-part podcast series, Marshall Ganz walks you through the five key practices of people, power, and change. Each podcast episode provides practical strategies to learn the leadership and organizing craft. As Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing and Civil Society at the Kennedy School of Government, Marshall Ganz teaches, researches, and writes on leadership, narrative, strategy and organization in social movements, civic associations, and politics. He grew up in Bakersfield, California where his father was a Rabbi and his mother, a teacher. He entered Harvard College in the fall of 1960. He left a year before graduating to volunteer with the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. He found a “calling” as an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and, in the fall of 1965 joined Cesar Chavez in his effort to unionize California farm workers. During 16 years with the United Farm Workers he gained experience in union, political, and community organizing; became Director of Organizing; and was elected to the national executive board on which he served for 8 years. During the 1980s he worked with grassroots groups to develop new organizing programs and designed innovative voter mobilization strategies for local, state, and national electoral campaigns. In 1991, in order to deepen his intellectual understanding of his work, he returned to Harvard College and after a 28-year "leave of absence" completed his undergraduate degree in history and government. He was awarded an MPA by the Kennedy School in 1993 and completed his PhD in sociology in 2000. He has published in the American Journal of Sociology, American Political Science Review, American Prospect, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review and elsewhere. His newest book, Why David Sometimes Wins: Leadership, Organization and Strategy in the California Farm Worker Movement was published in 2009, earning the Michael J. Harrington Book Award of the American Political Science Association. In 2007-8 he was instrumental in design of the grassroots organization for the 2008 Obama for President campaign. In 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in divinity by the Episcopal Divinity School. In association with the global Leading Change Network of organizers, researchers and educators he coaches, trains, and advises social, civic, educational, health care, and political groups on organizing, training, and leadership development around the world.

In this 6-part podcast series, Marshall Ganz walks you through the five key practices of people, power, and change. Each podcast episode provides practical strategies to learn the leadership and organizing craft. As Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing and Civil Society at the Kennedy School of Government, Marshall Ganz teaches, researches, and writes on leadership, narrative, strategy and organization in social movements, civic associations, and politics. He grew up in Bakersfield, California where his father was a Rabbi and his mother, a teacher. He entered Harvard College in the fall of 1960. He left a year before graduating to volunteer with the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. He found a “calling” as an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and, in the fall of 1965 joined Cesar Chavez in his effort to unionize California farm workers. During 16 years with the United Farm Workers he gained experience in union, political, and community organizing; became Director of Organizing; and was elected to the national executive board on which he served for 8 years. During the 1980s he worked with grassroots groups to develop new organizing programs and designed innovative voter mobilization strategies for local, state, and national electoral campaigns. In 1991, in order to deepen his intellectual understanding of his work, he returned to Harvard College and after a 28-year "leave of absence" completed his undergraduate degree in history and government. He was awarded an MPA by the Kennedy School in 1993 and completed his PhD in sociology in 2000. He has published in the American Journal of Sociology, American Political Science Review, American Prospect, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review and elsewhere. His newest book, Why David Sometimes Wins: Leadership, Organization and Strategy in the California Farm Worker Movement was published in 2009, earning the Michael J. Harrington Book Award of the American Political Science Association. In 2007-8 he was instrumental in design of the grassroots organization for the 2008 Obama for President campaign. In 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in divinity by the Episcopal Divinity School. In association with the global Leading Change Network of organizers, researchers and educators he coaches, trains, and advises social, civic, educational, health care, and political groups on organizing, training, and leadership development around the world.

In this 6-part podcast series, Marshall Ganz walks you through the five key practices of people, power, and change. Each podcast episode provides practical strategies to learn the leadership and organizing craft. As Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing and Civil Society at the Kennedy School of Government, Marshall Ganz teaches, researches, and writes on leadership, narrative, strategy and organization in social movements, civic associations, and politics. He grew up in Bakersfield, California where his father was a Rabbi and his mother, a teacher. He entered Harvard College in the fall of 1960. He left a year before graduating to volunteer with the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. He found a “calling” as an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and, in the fall of 1965 joined Cesar Chavez in his effort to unionize California farm workers. During 16 years with the United Farm Workers he gained experience in union, political, and community organizing; became Director of Organizing; and was elected to the national executive board on which he served for 8 years. During the 1980s he worked with grassroots groups to develop new organizing programs and designed innovative voter mobilization strategies for local, state, and national electoral campaigns. In 1991, in order to deepen his intellectual understanding of his work, he returned to Harvard College and after a 28-year "leave of absence" completed his undergraduate degree in history and government. He was awarded an MPA by the Kennedy School in 1993 and completed his PhD in sociology in 2000. He has published in the American Journal of Sociology, American Political Science Review, American Prospect, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review and elsewhere. His newest book, Why David Sometimes Wins: Leadership, Organization and Strategy in the California Farm Worker Movement was published in 2009, earning the Michael J. Harrington Book Award of the American Political Science Association. In 2007-8 he was instrumental in design of the grassroots organization for the 2008 Obama for President campaign. In 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in divinity by the Episcopal Divinity School. In association with the global Leading Change Network of organizers, researchers and educators he coaches, trains, and advises social, civic, educational, health care, and political groups on organizing, training, and leadership development around the world.

In this 6-part podcast series, Marshall Ganz walks you through the five key practices of people, power, and change. Each podcast episode provides practical strategies to learn the leadership and organizing craft. As Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing and Civil Society at the Kennedy School of Government, Marshall Ganz teaches, researches, and writes on leadership, narrative, strategy and organization in social movements, civic associations, and politics. He grew up in Bakersfield, California where his father was a Rabbi and his mother, a teacher. He entered Harvard College in the fall of 1960. He left a year before graduating to volunteer with the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. He found a “calling” as an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and, in the fall of 1965 joined Cesar Chavez in his effort to unionize California farm workers. During 16 years with the United Farm Workers he gained experience in union, political, and community organizing; became Director of Organizing; and was elected to the national executive board on which he served for 8 years. During the 1980s he worked with grassroots groups to develop new organizing programs and designed innovative voter mobilization strategies for local, state, and national electoral campaigns. In 1991, in order to deepen his intellectual understanding of his work, he returned to Harvard College and after a 28-year "leave of absence" completed his undergraduate degree in history and government. He was awarded an MPA by the Kennedy School in 1993 and completed his PhD in sociology in 2000. He has published in the American Journal of Sociology, American Political Science Review, American Prospect, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review and elsewhere. His newest book, Why David Sometimes Wins: Leadership, Organization and Strategy in the California Farm Worker Movement was published in 2009, earning the Michael J. Harrington Book Award of the American Political Science Association. In 2007-8 he was instrumental in design of the grassroots organization for the 2008 Obama for President campaign. In 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in divinity by the Episcopal Divinity School. In association with the global Leading Change Network of organizers, researchers and educators he coaches, trains, and advises social, civic, educational, health care, and political groups on organizing, training, and leadership development around the world.

In this 6-part podcast series, Marshall Ganz walks you through the five key practices of people, power, and change. Each podcast episode provides practical strategies to learn the leadership and organizing craft. As Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing and Civil Society at the Kennedy School of Government, Marshall Ganz teaches, researches, and writes on leadership, narrative, strategy and organization in social movements, civic associations, and politics. He grew up in Bakersfield, California where his father was a Rabbi and his mother, a teacher. He entered Harvard College in the fall of 1960. He left a year before graduating to volunteer with the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. He found a “calling” as an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and, in the fall of 1965 joined Cesar Chavez in his effort to unionize California farm workers. During 16 years with the United Farm Workers he gained experience in union, political, and community organizing; became Director of Organizing; and was elected to the national executive board on which he served for 8 years. During the 1980s he worked with grassroots groups to develop new organizing programs and designed innovative voter mobilization strategies for local, state, and national electoral campaigns. In 1991, in order to deepen his intellectual understanding of his work, he returned to Harvard College and after a 28-year "leave of absence" completed his undergraduate degree in history and government. He was awarded an MPA by the Kennedy School in 1993 and completed his PhD in sociology in 2000. He has published in the American Journal of Sociology, American Political Science Review, American Prospect, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review and elsewhere. His newest book, Why David Sometimes Wins: Leadership, Organization and Strategy in the California Farm Worker Movement was published in 2009, earning the Michael J. Harrington Book Award of the American Political Science Association. In 2007-8 he was instrumental in design of the grassroots organization for the 2008 Obama for President campaign. In 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in divinity by the Episcopal Divinity School. In association with the global Leading Change Network of organizers, researchers and educators he coaches, trains, and advises social, civic, educational, health care, and political groups on organizing, training, and leadership development around the world.

In this 6-part podcast series, Marshall Ganz walks you through the five key practices of people, power, and change. Each podcast episode provides practical strategies to learn the leadership and organizing craft. As Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing and Civil Society at the Kennedy School of Government, Marshall Ganz teaches, researches, and writes on leadership, narrative, strategy and organization in social movements, civic associations, and politics. He grew up in Bakersfield, California where his father was a Rabbi and his mother, a teacher. He entered Harvard College in the fall of 1960. He left a year before graduating to volunteer with the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. He found a “calling” as an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and, in the fall of 1965 joined Cesar Chavez in his effort to unionize California farm workers. During 16 years with the United Farm Workers he gained experience in union, political, and community organizing; became Director of Organizing; and was elected to the national executive board on which he served for 8 years. During the 1980s he worked with grassroots groups to develop new organizing programs and designed innovative voter mobilization strategies for local, state, and national electoral campaigns. In 1991, in order to deepen his intellectual understanding of his work, he returned to Harvard College and after a 28-year "leave of absence" completed his undergraduate degree in history and government. He was awarded an MPA by the Kennedy School in 1993 and completed his PhD in sociology in 2000. He has published in the American Journal of Sociology, American Political Science Review, American Prospect, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review and elsewhere. His newest book, Why David Sometimes Wins: Leadership, Organization and Strategy in the California Farm Worker Movement was published in 2009, earning the Michael J. Harrington Book Award of the American Political Science Association. In 2007-8 he was instrumental in design of the grassroots organization for the 2008 Obama for President campaign. In 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in divinity by the Episcopal Divinity School. In association with the global Leading Change Network of organizers, researchers and educators he coaches, trains, and advises social, civic, educational, health care, and political groups on organizing, training, and leadership development around the world.

The “Decade of Building State Capability” podcast series features interviews with practitioners who reflect on their experience using the PDIA approach and their engagement with Building State Capability over the past 10 years. On today's episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Kirk Gibson. Kirk is an international development practitioner working in the Pacific, Timor-Leste and Australia for over 15 years. He has worked on education, governance, leadership, workforce development, TVET and youth development projects for a range of NGO’s and Australian Government funded programs. He is passionate about the thinking and thinkers behind community development and about supporting locally led development. He currently works for a Papua New Guinean led organisation called The Voice Inc.

The “Decade of Building State Capability” podcast series features interviews with practitioners who reflect on their experience using the PDIA approach and their engagement with Building State Capability over the past 10 years. On today's episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Joana Bento and Danielle Serebro. Joana is a Programme Manager at CABRI leading their capacity building programmes in support of institutional capabilities across Africa. After a short time working for the European Union Delegation to South Africa, she joined CABRI in 2014, working across various subject areas. In 2018, she was leading CABRI’s work on value-for-money in public spending, supporting African countries in developing and implementing financing policies in the WASH and agriculture sectors. She also worked in CABRI’s transparency and accountability programme. She holds an MSc in Economics from Nova School of Business and Economics, Lisbon and an MSc in International Management from Keio University in Tokyo. Danielle is a development economist who has worked with many African governments to improve the management of their public debt, build public financial management capabilities and improve linkages between public finance and service delivery. She holds an undergraduate degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Cape Town. Her postgraduate qualifications include Honours and Master’s degrees in Economic Development from the University of the Witwatersrand, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Economics from the University of Cape Town’s School of Public Health.

The “Decade of Building State Capability” podcast series features interviews with practitioners who reflect on their experience using the PDIA approach and their engagement with Building State Capability over the past 10 years. On today's episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Sampath Kumar. Sampath is presently the Health Secretary and the Development Commissioner of the government of Meghalaya in northeast India. Over a career addressing rural poverty reduction, women’s empowerment, natural resource management, early childhood education, and healthcare, he has grown deeply familiar with both the challenges of extending public services to the poor and vulnerable, and the immense potential of last mile development. Mr. Kumar has also conceptualized the innovative State Capability Enhancement Project (SCEP) as a means of strengthening state capacity, while progressively tackling complex development challenges. The SCEP framework has now been institutionalized as the Government Innovation Lab (GIL) with the Government of Meghalaya. He is Edward S. Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and holds a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University.


The “Decade of Building State Capability” podcast series features interviews with practitioners who reflect on their experience using the PDIA approach and their engagement with Building State Capability over the past 10 years. On today's episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Ricardo Hausmann. Ricardo is the founder and Director of Harvard’s Growth Lab and the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School. Under his leadership, the Growth Lab has grown into one of the most well-regarded and influential hubs for research on economic growth and development around the world. His scholarly contributions have had a significant impact on the study and practice of development. These include the development of the Growth Diagnostics and Economic Complexity methodologies, as well as several widely used economic concepts, such as Dark Matter, Original Sin, and Self-discovery. His work has been published in some of the top journals in the world, including Science, Journal of Development Economics, Journal of International Economics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of International Money and Finance, Economic Policy, and the Journal of Economic Growth, among many others. These publications have been cited more than 47,000 times, and their main findings have been highlighted in mass media outlets such as The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Since launching the Growth Lab in 2006, Hausmann has served as principal investigator for more than 50 research initiatives in nearly 30 countries, including the US, informing development policy, growth strategies, and diversification agendas at the national, regional, and city levels. Before joining Harvard University, he served as the first Chief Economist of the Inter-American Development Bank (1994-2000), where he created the Research Department. He has served as Minister of Planning of Venezuela (1992-1993) and as a member of the Board of the Central Bank of Venezuela. He also served as Chair of the IMF-World Bank Development Committee. He was Professor of Economics at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion (IESA) (1985-1991) in Caracas, where he founded the Center for Public Policy. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University.

The “Decade of Building State Capability” podcast series features interviews with practitioners who reflect on their experience using the PDIA approach and their engagement with Building State Capability over the past 10 years. On today's episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Rebecca Trupin and Prateek Mittal.

The “Decade of Building State Capability” podcast series features interviews with practitioners who reflect on their experience using the PDIA approach and their engagement with Building State Capability over the past 10 years. On today's episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Cara Myers. Cara is Co-founder and Director of Development and Innovation at the Mozambique School Lunch Initiative (MSLI). She is passionate about systems change to address complex problems, particularly among children and youth in Mozambique. In parallel to her work with MSLI, Cara has also held a number of other roles in the international development sector. She is currently a Program Officer for the Women's Economic Empowerment team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where her work focuses on generating data and evidence for increasing women's income and agency in sub-Saharan Africa. Previously, she has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank, specifically with the Global Poverty and Equity Practice in Mozambique and Uganda, where she contributed to the analytical work on poverty, vulnerability, and inclusive growth. She has also worked as a Research Associate for Innovations for Poverty Action in Kenya, led independent research as a Fulbright Research Fellow in Brazil, and worked on livelihood development programs for Samaritan's Purse in Mozambique. Cara holds a Master’s in Public Administration in International Development (2018) from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. in International Politics and Economics (2013) from Middlebury College.

The “Decade of Building State Capability” podcast series features interviews with practitioners who reflect on their experience using the PDIA approach and their engagement with Building State Capability over the past 10 years. On today's episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Michael Woolcock, a co-author of the Building State Capability book. Michael Woolcock is Lead Social Development Specialist with the World Bank’s Development Research Group in Washington, D.C. His current work focuses on interactions between customary and state legal systems, conducted as part of the World Bank’s global ‘Justice for the Poor’ program (which he co-founded), and strategies for assessing complex social interventions. His most recent books are Contesting Development: Participatory Projects and Local Conflict Dynamics in Indonesia (with Patrick Barron and Rachael Diprose; Yale University Press, 2011), and History, Historians and Development Policy: A Necessary Dialogue (edited with C.A. Bayly, Vijayendra Rao and Simon Szreter; Manchester University Press, 2011). An Australian national, he has an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Brown University. He taught previously at Harvard Kennedy School from 2000-2006, and from 2006-2009 was founding Research Director of the Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University of Manchester, where he was Professor of Social Science and Development Policy.

The “Decade of Building State Capability” podcast series features interviews with practitioners who reflect on their experience using the PDIA approach and their engagement with Building State Capability over the past 10 years. On today's episode, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Andrew Lawson. Andrew is an economist and public finance specialist, who has spent his career working in Developing and Transition countries, helping to improve public policies and public finance management (PFM) systems. He is Technical Director of Fiscus, UK – a consultancy and research company focused on public finance issues, and was previously the Director of the Centre for Aid and Public Expenditure (CAPE) at ODI, London. He has worked for 47 governments across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America and has also undertaken a range of evaluations of capacity building programmes for international organisations, including the EU, the World Bank, the IMF and, more recently the Gates Foundation, for whom he led an evaluation of the application of PDIA techniques to public finance problems in Africa. This was recently published in World Development Perspectives as a joint research paper, with his colleague, Dr. Jamelia Harris. Andrew has a BA (Honours) in Economics from Cambridge University and a Master’s Degree in Development Economics from the University of East Anglia, UK. He is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, and works regularly in these languages.

The “Decade of Building State Capability” podcast series features interviews with practitioners who reflect on their experience using the PDIA approach and their engagement with Building State Capability over the past 10 years. Today, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews Awa Touray to hear more about how she is utilizing the PDIA approach as she works to resolve public problems. Awa is the Deputy Chief of Party for USAID’s Education Systems Strengthening Activity (ESSA) in Liberia, a project that uses PDIA as a key approach to build a more capable education system. She joined FHI 360, a global development organization, in July 2023. Prior to joining FHI 360, Awa worked as an international consultant on an EU funded State Building Contract in Sierra Leone, an Associate and Public Financial Management Specialist at CABRI, and as a public servant at the Gambian Ministry of Finance, where she was involved in various PFM initiatives. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from the National University of Singapore, where she was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship for academic excellence. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Ghana. Awa has a passion for public policy and development.

“The Practice of Resolving Public Problems” series features interviews with alums of our Implementing Public Policy (IPP) executive program at the Harvard Kennedy School. The episodes focus on how our alums are using the PDIA tools and approach in designing and implementing public policy. Today, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews IPP alum, Doran Moreland, to hear more about how he is utilizing what he learned in the program as he works to resolve public problems. Doran has held numerous roles in education including Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Belonging at Ivy Tech Community College, State Programs and Government Affairs Director at EdChoice, and Co-founder and Community Relations Director of Rocketship Education, a kindergarten through 5th grade public charter school.

“The Practice of Resolving Public Problems” series features interviews with alums of our Implementing Public Policy (IPP) executive program at the Harvard Kennedy School. The episodes focus on how our alums are using the PDIA tools and approach in designing and implementing public policy. Today, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews IPP alum, Chinenye Uwanaka, to hear more about how she is utilizing what she learned in the program as she works to resolve public problems. Chinenye Uwanaka is a nation builder, and her true passion is to empower people and fight against extreme poverty and injustice. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of The Firma Advisory, a boutique law and consulting firm in Nigeria with clients in Africa, Middle-east, Europe and America. Some of the firm’s core practice areas include: Energy Law, Information Technology, Intellectual Property, etc.

In this episode produced jointly between RISE and the Building State Capability (BSC) at Harvard University’s Podcast Series, BSC Director Salimah Samji speaks to Nangamso Mtsatse, CEO of Funda Wande, an NGO that works to catalyse improvements in foundational literacy and numeracy for children in South Africa. They talk about building local teams; creating a culture of measurement, reflection and learning; being intentional; and working within the constraints and opportunities of the system you are in for change.

“The Practice of Resolving Public Problems” series features interviews with alums of our Implementing Public Policy (IPP) executive program at the Harvard Kennedy School. The episodes focus on how our alums are using the PDIA tools and approach in designing and implementing public policy. Today, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews IPP alum, Urkhan Seyidov, to hear more about how he is utilizing what he learned in the program as he works to resolve public problems. Urkhan serves as Senior Advisor at the Department of Economic Issues and Innovative Development at the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He is a dynamic and motivated professional with a proven record of generating and building relationships, managing various projects and programs on innovation and strategic communications. He is an expert in building cross-functional teams, demonstrating exceptional communication skills in government relations and making critical decisions during policy design and implementation process. He is an author of two books: Innovation – Implementation Guidelines and Soft power and Public Diplomacy of Azerbaijan in the Digital Age. He is also an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Program with a concentration in Public Policy and is an HKS Alumni ambassador in Azerbaijan.

“The Practice of Resolving Public Problems” series features interviews with alums of our Implementing Public Policy (IPP) executive program at the Harvard Kennedy School. The episodes focus on how our alums are using the PDIA tools and approach in designing and implementing public policy. Today, BSC Director Salimah Samji interviews IPP alum, Maggie MacDonald, to hear more about how she is utilizing what she learned in the program as she works to resolve public problems. Maggie has close to 20 years of experience in the not-for-profit and government sectors. She has worked for three orders of government in a range of areas, including consumer protection, economic development, government relations and most recently, Parks and Recreation for the last 10 years. She has worked for the Halifax Regional Municipality and is currently acting executive director of Parks and Recreation.