Center for International Business and Public Policy | Overview

The Center for International Business and Public Policy serves as a focal point within SAIS for teaching, applied research and outreach activities that concentrate on the nexus of interests and responsibilities among international business, finance and public policy. The Center was created in response to far reaching global changes that have made it increasingly important for practitioners from both the public and private sectors to deepen their understanding of the issues that are relevant to their counterparts across the public-private divide.

In recent years, governments worldwide have adjusted policies with the aim of encouraging a higher level of private sector activity, both domestic and foreign. Markets have been opened, regulatory frameworks have been liberalized and privatization transactions have become commonplace, all in the name of enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of companies and countries. One consequence of these far-reaching changes is that practitioners from the worlds of international business, finance and public policy now are compelled to work closely and constructively with one another across a broad spectrum of activities.

Historically, relations between the private and public sectors have often been less than optimal. On any particular issue, both sides have tended to be deeply suspicious of the motives and interests of the other.  One explanation for this disconnect has been the linear nature of the education and training that most practitioners receive. Until recently, the study of international relations tended to focus almost exclusively on the public policy concerns of governments.  Private sector interests and relations between business and government were only considered germane to policy makers when national interests were directly at stake. Subject matter pertaining to "business" was perceived to be the domain of business schools.  Conversely, most graduate business programs downplayed the relevance of public policy issues to private sector performance, particularly in the international arena.

The Center's goal is to break this educational paradigm by conducting a wide range of scholarly and practical activities that explicitly seek to construct bridges between the worlds of international business and government.  To this end, the Center's mission is to:

• Promote new courses and conduct applied research focusing on the intersection between the private and public sectors on a range of international business and financial issues;
• Students with the analytical and problem-solving skills needed to compete in the area of international finance, thus enhancing their future job prospects, regardless of whether they are headed for the private or public sector; and
• Serve as an internationally recognized forum where practitioners from the disciplines of international business, finance, public policy and academia can discuss critical issues requiring close public-private cooperation. 

Leadership Academy for Development | Promoting the Private Sector through Public Policy | Overview

Co-Founders | Executive Director | Financial Supporters | Existing Partnerships

Training Program:  The Leadership Academy for Development (LAD) trains up-and-coming policy officials and business leaders from the developing world.  Policy reform  is not like engineering or other technical fields where there is a clear optimal solution.  Instead, successful reformers also must weigh a broad range of factors that influence policy outcomes, which requires that they have a sound grasp of the country-specific economic, financial, political and cultural realities, combined with a sense of how to set priorities, sequence actions and build coalitions.  LAD will provide participants with an analytical framework that will help them achieve results in complex environments.

Background and Rationale: It is widely recognized that (i) private sector performance is a key factor driving any country's growth and development, and that (ii) government policies and programs, depending on how they are structured and applied have either a catalytic or inhibitory effect on the sustainable growth of the private sector.  Far less recognized however is the critical importance of the capabilities of the individuals charged with designing and implementing policies and programs directed at strengthening private sector performance.  Such individuals include international development specialists, local government officials, and private sector practitioners.  Not only must these professionals have the requisite technical knowledge and analytical skills to succeed, but they also must be capable of effectively contending with a range of other factors that influence success or failure, such as the local political, cultural, and economic realities.  Currently, there is a need for programs that address this human capital constraint by taking a multidisciplinary rather than a technocratic approach to training practitioners with responsibility to enhance the private sector's role in development.

Curriculum:  LAD has developed a unique multidisciplinary curriculum that uses case-studies written specifically for this program.  Rather than serve as examples of "best practices" or "how-to" guides, the cases are written from the perspective of key stakeholders and decison makers in developing countries who have been charged with analyzing, designing and implementing specific policies and programs that enhance private sector performance.  The cases demonstrate how effective public officials, regardless of country, think and act strategically about specific private sector development issues, taking into careful consideration the political, cultural and social constraints they face, as well as the obvious technical obstacles.  The curriculum includes cases from different parts of the developing world including Asia, Africa, and Latin America.  The program has focused on four important themes of private sector development:  (1)  Industry promotion; (2) Infrastructure; (3) Access to finance; and (4) Business climate.

Participants:  The training program is designed for government officials and private sector practitioners from developing countries who are playing a prominent role in the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that affect the behavior of the private sector in their countries.  The program provides a networking and knowledge sharing platform for the program's alumni after the program has concluded.