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.

The power behind technology, the human brain

The progress of technology is admirable and sometimes even intimidating. Yet, the human brain is so much more complex and adaptive to learning and social environments than a robot will ever be. A case for early childhood interventions

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.

Scaling up is NOT doing the same at scale

By Sandra Naranjo Bautista Public policy is more an art than a science. Everyone recognizes that scaling up is hard. There is an implicit acknowledgment of the challenges that organizations – including governments – face when they attempt to take successful pilots to scale; however, the translation of that understanding into concrete actions to overcome …

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.

Designing good policies is one thing, implementing them is another

The power behind technology, the human brain

Could governments learn better?

Scaling up is NOT doing the same at scale

How to communicate effectively in a crisis

Politicians versus Civil Servants

Public policy during a crisis

Don't leave without joining Better Govs!

Don't leave without joining Better Govs!