B-roll of exterior of HKS building, Salimah Samji teaching in front of an Executive Education class, Matt Andrews teaching in Sri Lanka, a group of Sri Lanka participants huddled in a circle working as a team, a woman pointing to a white board with the PDIA process, children in school smiling, children in Africa visiting the doctor, flags from all over the world blowing in the wind
Our Work
Building State Capability (BSC) at the Center for Public Leadership empowers people to find context appropriate solutions to their problems, thus improving the implementation of their policies and programs. We build organizational capability by delivering results.
Where We Work
We have trained and engaged with over 4,850 practitioners in 157 countries.
Click/tap on the countries below to see related content (opens a new page).
Our Impact
We showcase the real-world impact of our work through stories, case studies, and practitioner reflections.
Our Impact Stories
These stories, featuring participants we’ve trained, highlight how they’ve applied what they learned to drive change in their communities.
Our Impact Cases
These impact cases illustrate how practitioners are using PDIA to navigate complexity and deliver real results on the ground.
Our Testimonials
These testimonials reflect practitioners’ experiences in our programs and the impact they’ve had on their work and leadership.
Our Tools
We have a wide variety of tools and resources available to learn about the Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approach and our work.
PDIA Toolkit
A DIY toolkit of the PDIA approach, designed to guide you through the process of solving complex problems which requires working in teams.
Audio & Video Guides
These self-paced guides link to blogs and podcasts where you can learn about the PDIA process, the 4P model for strategic leadership, leadership in crisis, and more.
Podcasts
Our podcasts feature interviews on new research, the PDIA in Practice series, audible research papers, event recordings, and insights on strategic leadership and crises response.
Publications
We regularly publish research in a wide range of academic and policy venues, include working papers, books, book chapters, articles, blogs, and reports.
From Our Blog
We have over 820 blog posts written by practitioners and policymakers on their experience using PDIA.
Engage with Us
We offer training programs and host events featuring researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and academics who are working to solve complex problems.
Training Programs
Based at Harvard Kennedy School, BSC trains and equips practitioners and policymakers around the world with the tools and resources to solve public problems. Learn more about our executive education programs, degree programs, and past training programs.
Event Highlight
From Ideas to Impact: The Practice of Policy Implementation
February 6, 2026 | Online
There is no shortage of ideas for tackling development challenges, yet far too many fail where it matters most: in implementation. In this session, Matt Andrews and Salimah Samji discuss policy work as an iterative process of learning, adaptation, and coalition-building, arguing that successful public policy implementation is an ongoing, dynamic process—not a one-off achievement.
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