Reducing Youth Unemployment in Papua New Guinea

Guest blog by Frederick Joseph, Keren Mahabi, Joshua Sialis, Karo Tuva

We are the Youth Economic Empowerment Team! We are from the finance industry; banking & superannuation. The challenge that we are tackling is youth unemployment struggles in Koki, Moresby South, and Port Moresby, PNG. We believe that youth are the cornerstone of development and should be empowered to activate their potential.

Strengthening Early Childhood Education Implementation in Papua New Guinea

Guest blog by Joyce Kafuo, Hilton Kapial, Elisheba Musia, Priscilla Vuvu, Regil Wanwanji

Why is Early Childhood Education (ECE) still struggling in Papua New Guinea despite policy reforms?

Over 12 weeks, our team applied the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approach to understand why Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Papua New Guinea continues to struggle despite policy reforms and national commitments. The experience pushed us to move past assumptions, engage directly with frontline actors, and learn through small but meaningful iterations. This blog captures our shared reflections, progress and learning as a team.

Digital Financial Inclusion in India: The Gender Gap Challenge 

Guest blog by Richa Mukherjee, IPP ’25

After practicing public policy as a professional for 15 years, I decided to pursue it more formally as a subject from the Harvard Kennedy School’s IPP Class of 2025. This turned out to be a very insightful and an experience full of learning. The learning journey at HKS gave me comprehensive insights into addressing complex societal challenges, particularly as demonstrated through the digital financial inclusion case study. 

What Healthcare Complaints in Bahrain Really Tell Us — If We’re Willing to Listen

Guest blog by Nada Ebrahim, IPP ’25

The learnings from Implementing Public Policy were endless but if I could summarize my top three: 

1. How a problem is framed, especially for senior decision-makers, deeply affects how it’s understood and prioritized. 

2. Positional authority doesn’t equal insight! Operational and junior staff often hold key knowledge about system bottlenecks that senior leaders may overlook or not know.

3. Stop imposing views and lean in to listen because every conversation be it with CEOs, operations teams, and/or analysts reveals different perceptions of the problem. No single view is complete. 

Addressing Gender‑Based Violence in Baiyer District, Papua New Guinea

Guest blog by Kevin Gou, Dorothy Jack, Carolyn Kuk Kop, Shadrick Paraka, Mark Paroa, Johnson Trepi, and Yangga Treppe,

Over the last 12 weeks, Team Baiyer Range has been working on the problem of gender-based violence (GBV) in our district. After we identified this problem, we used PDIA to identify ideas we can use to address the problem. We shifted from a solution-driven mindset to a problem-driven approach. The PDIA course has helped us to evaluate and assess the prevention and response strategies currently being used in our country to address GBV. We discovered that the approaches, strategies, and tools being used were not appropriate and have therefore contributed to the high prevalence of GBV in the country.

A Journey Toward Solving Mobility Challenges in Lowell, Massachusetts

Guest blog by Camilo Espitia, IPP ’25

Throughout this course, I’ve come to appreciate the power of taking a wholistic perspective when tackling complex problems. What initially seemed like a straightforward issue quickly revealed multiple dimensions—shaped not only by data, but by how others perceive the problem, how we present it, and how we interact with the people affected by it. 

Continuing Professional Development in Saudi Arabia’s Sports Sector

Guest blog by Mazna AlMarzooqi, IPP ’25

When I began the Implementing Public Policy (IPP) course, I expected tools, frameworks, and case studies. What I gained went far beyond that: I learned how to reframe problems, work iteratively, and see “progress” not as final results but as a series of learnings and leads that build momentum.

Tackling Student Drop‑out in Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea

Guest blog by Mirriam Dii, Isaac George, Bernadette Tania Goye, Issac Kuine, Maree Wai Tombe

In Simbu Province, more of our students are dropping out or leaving school early each year, and it is becoming the norm. At the beginning of every school year, we enroll more students, but by the end of the academic year the dropout rate increases and not all of the students we enroll end up graduating. In fact, about 15% of the total number of students in grades seven to ten drop out each year. We have about an equal number of boys and girls dropping out each year, making this a gender-neutral problem. Therefore, throughout our PDIA course, we worked on the problem of high student drop-out rates wherein students leave school before completing or reaching grade ten and graduating with a nationally recognized, formal Basic Education School Certificate. Our goal is to retain more students in school until they complete their grade ten and graduate with a high school certificate, as per our team name (Student Retention Squad).

Addressing the Challenge of Brain Drain and Supporting Returnees in Azerbaijan 

Guest blog by Vugar Aliyev, IPP ’25

First of all, I came to realize just how much quality education Harvard University provides to learners of public policy. The program went beyond theory and delivered practical tools that can be applied immediately in real-world contexts. I not only learned new knowledge but also gained frameworks that will help me think differently as a policymaker. I feel a strong sense of responsibility to spread these learnings—by recommending the program to colleagues, by introducing new problem-solving methods into my workplace, and by creating a culture that values experimentation and adaptive learning. 

Public Services Delivery in Mali: A Manageable Problem

Guest blog by Fatim Haby Mariko, IPP ’25

When I first embarked on the Implementing Public Policy (IPP) program, my problem statement for Mali was ambitious and, as I would soon discover, far too broad to tackle directly. I started with the challenge of Mali’s low public trust and government accountability, which hindered civic engagement. It is a real and significant challenge, but it offered no clear entry point for action.