Better Govs focuses on implementation. In this section you will find blogs that talk about everything that happens once you start a project. From how to get started, monitor progress, and the learning process of implementation. If you can’t find something contact me, I love to receive suggestions for new topics.

Could governments learn better?

There is a difference between learning what to do, which depends on the accumulation and assimilation of knowledge, and learning how to do it, which generally comes through practice.

Designing good policies is one thing, implementing them is another

Forging and adopting technically sound policies is necessary for successful development, but it is not enough: any policy is only as good as its implementation. In this blog Michael Woolcock and Norman Loayza argue that policy implementation can fail for two broad reasons: (1) the absence of complementary measures needed to make the chosen policy effective; and (2) the inadequate capability of prevailing institutions and administrative systems.

Turning government failure into success: How Korea learned from MERS to succeed in COVID-19

South Korea has been showcased as an exemplar in the global fight against COVID-19. The country’s testing capacity, combined with its ability to trace people who may have been exposed to the virus and treat patients, has been highlighted as the key to its success. What I find more interesting about Korea is not so much what they are doing but why they are doing it. Korea’s current success builds on previous failures, on the government’s ability to learn from past mistakes and to institutionalise those lessons.

How to communicate effectively in a crisis

Effective communication is an essential component of crisis response. In this article, I share three lessons from Korea, Colombia and Argentina regarding disaster response.

Politicians versus Civil Servants

Politicians and civil servants think about public policy differently. This seems obvious, but understanding how and why their views and priorities are different is crucial to improve policy implementation. In this blog, I’ll use the example of housing reconstruction after Ecuador’s 2016 earthquake to highlight these two perspectives.

Public policy during a crisis

In this blog I share 3 lessons from my experience dealing with a crisis, Ecuador´s 2016 earthquake. I also prepared a cheat sheet with additional information and examples that complement this blog.

5 secrets for effective policy implementation

Paraphrasing Einstein, policy implementation should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. In this blog I summarize 5 actionable tips for effective policy implementation you can start using today.

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