Judith E. Heumann delivers the 2019 Gustav Pollak Lecture

Appearing Tuesday night in the JFK Jr. Forum at the Harvard Kennedy School, Disability rights activist Judith E. Heumann called for private and public institutions to include the perspectives of disabled individuals in discussions about diversity and equality.  Hosted by the MLD Area and the Institute of Politics, Heumann delivered the Gustav Pollak endowed lecture in moderated discussion with MLD Area Chair and HKS Senior Lecturer Hannah Riley Bowles. Harvard Kennedy School graduate Sara Minkara, who introduced Heumann at the event, highlighted the activist’s influence on policymakers around the world.

Heumann has a long career as both an activist and organizer, but also working within multiple presidential administrations and with the World Bank. She brought a unique historical perspective to the long fight to enact legislation promoting disability rights in the U.S. and worldwide, and spoke persuasively about the ongoing need to enforce the laws and spread awareness that true inclusion remains a critical, but still far off, goal.  View the complete event on the IOP Forum webpage.

Judith Heumann and Hannah Riley Bowles on stage @ JFK Jr. Forum
Judith Heumann and Hannah Riley Bowles on stage @ JFK Jr. Forum (Photo Credit: Martha Stewart)

Congratulations to the HKS Class of 2017!

We congratulate all of the Harvard Kennedy School masters and Ph.D. students who will be receiving their degrees today. We also specially recognize all of the students who have earned the Certificate in Management, Leadership, and Decision Sciences. While at HKS, these 223 students have shown a sustained commitment to enhancing their leadership potential,  and now they are poised to excel in their future public service endeavors.
The MLD Area faculty and staff wish our graduates all the best for the summer ahead and into the future.

For a closer look at the Harvard Kennedy School Class of 2017, read the HKS press release. HKS Commencement details, including the schedule of events and live stream links, can be found on the HKS website. Information on Harvard University’s 366th Commencement events and activities can be found on the university’s website.

Understanding Emotion in the Context of Intractable Intergroup Conflict

Special Presentation: Understanding Emotion in the Context of Intractable Intergroup Conflict
with Professor Eran Halperin of Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, IsraelPortrait of Eran Halperin

Bio:  Professor Eran Halperin is Dean of the School of Psychology and Professor at IDC – Herzliya. An award-winning pioneer in examining emotion processes using field experiments, Dr. Halperin’s research uses psychological and political theories to investigate causal factors driving intergroup conflicts. More specifically, his work develops new approaches for modifying the psychological roots of intolerance, exclusion and intergroup violence.  The unique case of Israeli society in general, and of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular, motivates much of his work and, hence, most of his studies are conducted within the context of that “natural laboratory.”  His laboratory currently spearheads a government sponsored project to standardize social inclusion in Israeli education.

Date: April 27, 2017    11:45 AM – 1:00 PM

Location: HKS, Belfer Building, Land Lecture Hall (Room 400)

Space is limited; RSVP by April 19 REQUIRED  (Light lunch will be provided)

Presentation sponsored by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.  Additional support provided by the Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard, the Management, Leadership, and Decision Science Area at the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Middle East Initiative of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

Dealing with Dysfunction: Innovative Problem Solving in the Public Sector – A Book Talk with author Jorrit de Jong – April 12, 2017

Join us for a discussion on April 12th with Jorrit de Jong, Lecturer in Public Policy and Management at HKS, Faculty Director of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, and author of “Dealing with Dysfunction: Innovative Problem Solving in the Public Sector” (Brookings University Press).
Julie Boatright Wilson, Harry Kahn Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, HKS, and Matt R. Andrews, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS, will provide responses. Tony Saich, director of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and Daewoo Professor of International Affairs, will moderate. Book cover of Dealing with Dysfunction by Jorrit de Jong

About Dealing with Dysfunction

How can we intervene in the systemic bureaucratic dysfunction that beleaguers the public sector? De Jong examines the roots of this dysfunction and presents a novel approach to solving it. Drawing from academic literature on bureaucracy and problem solving in the public sector, and the clinical work of the Kafka Brigade — a social enterprise based in the Netherlands dedicated to diagnosing and remedying bureaucratic dysfunction in practice, this study reveals the shortcomings of conventional approaches to bureaucratic reform. The usual methods have failed to diagnose problems, distinguish symptoms, or identify root causes in a comprehensive or satisfactory way. They have also failed to engage clients, professionals, and midlevel managers in understanding and addressing the dysfunction that plagues them. This book offers conceptual frameworks, theoretical insights, and practical lessons for dealing with the problem. It sets a course for rigorous public problem solving to create governments that can be more effective, efficient, equitable, and responsive to social concerns.

De Jong argues that successfully remedying bureaucratic dysfunction depends on employing diagnostics capable of distinguishing and dissecting various kinds of dysfunction. The “Anna Karenina principle” applies here: all well-functioning bureaucracies are alike; every dysfunctional bureaucracy is dysfunctional in its own way. The author also asserts that the worst dysfunction occurs when multiple organizations share responsibility for a problem, but no single organization is primarily responsible for solving it. This points to a need for creating and reinforcing distributed problem-solving capacity focused on deep (cross-)organizational learning and revised accountability structures. Our best approach to dealing with dysfunction may therefore not be top-down regulatory reform, but rather relentless bottom-up and cross-boundary leadership and innovation. Using fourteen clinical cases of bureaucratic dysfunction investigated by the Kafka Brigade, the author demonstrates how a proper process for identifying, defining, diagnosing, and remedying the problem can produce better outcomes.

Date:

Wednesday, April 12, 2017, 4:15pm to 5:30pm

Location:

Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Suite 200N, 124 Mt Auburn Street, Cambridge

Innovation and Scaling for Impact: A conversation with authors Johanna Mair and Christian Seelos, March 30, 2017

On behalf of the recently launched Social Innovation and Change Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School, we invite you to join an interactive conversation on the new book:

Innovation and Scaling for Impact: A conversation with authors Johanna Mair and Christian Seelos
Thursday, March 30, 4:30 – 5:30PM
Darman Room, Taubman Building, HKS

Join Johanna Mair and Christian Seelos, directors at the Social Innovation and Change Initiative at HKS, for an interactive conversation on their new book, Innovation and Scaling for Impact: How Effective Social Enterprises Do ItRSVP here.

 

 

Learn more about the Social Innovation and Change Initiative (SICI ; pronounced “sigh-see”)  and see listing of upcoming seminars at: http://sici-hks.org/