Skip to main content

PrincetonX: MGWx Making Government Work in Hard Places

Course Schedule

GETTING STARTED (OCTOBER 21)

Readings:

    • Case Study 1: "Remaking a Neglected Megacity: A Civic Transformation in Lagos State 1999-2012"

Watch:

    1. Reformers on Building Institutions
    2. Introduction
    3. Lagos
    4. Two More Stories About Leading Reform
    5. How to Read a Case Study

Assignments:

    • Discussion Forum Assignment: Appalachian Mountain

TOPIC 1: BIG RESULTS FAST (OCTOBER 28)

Readings:

    • Case Study 1: "Empowering Operational Staff: Land Registration in Sarawak, Malaysia, 2006-2009"
    • Case Study 2: "A Second life for One-Stop Shops in Brazil," or "Creating a Citizen Friendly Department in Jordan,"  or "Reforming Without Hiring or Firing South Africa"

Watch:

    1. Introduction
    2. Creating Big Results Fast
    3. Sarawak Story
    4. A Principal Agent Problem
    5. Formula For Success: Part 1 - Process
    6. Formula For Success: Part 2 - Strategy Meets Context
    7. Cautions: Part 1 - Transparency and Competition
    8. Cautions: Part 2 - Are Transparency and Competition Always Good?
    9. Conversation with Pravin Gordhan and Judy Parfitt, South Africa

Assignments:

    • Quiz Option 1: A Second Life for One-Stop Shops (Brazil)
    • Quiz Option 2: Creating a Citizen Friendly Department (Jordan)
    • Quiz Option 3: Reforming without Hiring or Firing (South Africa)
    • Practicum Option One: Streamlining a Process

TOPIC 2: SHORT-ROUTE ACCOUNTABILITY, PART 1 (NOVEMBER 4)

Readings:

    • Case Study 1: "Power at the Grass Roots: Monitoring Public Works in Abra, Philippines, 1986–1990"
    • Case Study 2: "Promoting Accountability, Monitoring Services: Textbook Procurement and Delivery, Philippines, 2002–2005"

Watch:

    1. Introduction
    2. Short-Route Accountability
    3. Abra
    4. What Could Go Wrong: The Collective Action Problem
    5. The Textbook Story
    6. Continuing Challenges
    7. Rwanda's Imihigo System (optional)
    8. Conversation with Juan Miguel Luz, Philippines, on Textbook Count

Assignments:

    • Quiz: Citizen Monitoring
    • Discussion Forum Assignment: Advice to Reform Team

TOPIC 3: SHORT-ROUTE ACCOUNTABILITY, PART 2 (NOVEMBER 11)

Readings:

    • Case Study 1: "Services for the People, By the People: Indonesia's Program for Community Empowerment, 1998–2006"
    • Case Study 2: "Building Trust in Government: Afghanistan's National Solidarity Program, 2002–2013"

Watch:

    1. Introduction
    2. Citizens as Managers
    3. Diagnosis: Five Foreseeable Problems
    4. The Kecamatan Development Program: Part 1 - Introduction
    5. The Kecamatan Development Program: Part 2 - Design
    6. The Kecamatan Development Program: Part 3 - Results
    7. What Could Go Wrong? Part 1: Challenges and Adaptations
    8. What Could Go Wrong? Part 2: Program Evaluation Challenges
    9. Conversation with Ashraf Ghani and Ghulam Rasoul Rasouli

Assignments:

    • Quiz: Short Route Accountability
    • Discussion Forum Assignment: The Pros and Cons of Block Grants

TOPIC 4: INSTITUTIONAL TRAPS (NOVEMBER 18)

Readings:

    • Case Study 1: "Inviting a Tiger into Your Home": Indonesia Creates an Anti-Corruption Commission with Teeth, 2002–2007"
    • Case Study 2: "Saving a Sinking Agency: The National Port Authority of Liberia, 2006–2011" or "Ingraining Honesty, Changing Norms: Government Ethics in Brazil, 1995–2004"

Watch:

    1. Introduction
    2. Traps
    3. Inviting a Tiger Into Your Home: Part 1
    4. Self-dealing vs. Legitimate Opposition
    5. Inviting a Tiger Into Your Home: Part 2
    6. Escaping Institutional Traps: Toolkit 1
    7. Escaping Institutional Traps: Toolkit 2
    8. Escaping Institutional Traps: Toolkit 3
    9. Escaping Institutional Traps: Toolkit 4
    10. Repairing Liberia's National Port: Part 1
    11. Repairing Liberia's National Port: Part 2

Assignments:

    • Quiz Option 1: Integrating Honesty, Changing Norms (Brazil)
    • Quiz Option 2: Saving a Sinking Ship Agency (Liberia)
    • Discussion Forum Assignment: Partnership with the Public

TOPIC 5: SOCIAL EXPECTATIONS AND INSTITUTIONAL REFORM (NOVEMBER 25)

Readings:

    • Case Study 1: "Conjuring and Consolidating a Turnaround: Governance in Bogota, 1992–2003"
    • Case Study 2: "Streamlined Tax Administration in Rio de Janeiro: Implementing Nota Carioca, 2009–2014"

Watch:

    1. Introduction
    2. Expectations
    3. Norm Coordination Traps
    4. Is There a Toolkit for Addressing Norm Coordination Problems? Part 1
    5. Is There a Toolkit for Addressing Norm Coordination Problems? Part 2
    6. Is There a Toolkit for Addressing Norm Coordination Problems? Part 3
    7. Is There a Toolkit for Addressing Norm Coordination Problems? Part 4
    8. Conversation with Sergio Fajardo

Assignments:

    • Quiz: Psychology and Norm Coordination Traps
    • Discussion Forum Assignment: Norm Coordination Traps

TOPIC 6: CAPABILITY TRAPS (DECEMBER 2)

Readings:

    • Case Study 1: "Energizing the Civil Service: Managing at the Top 2, Bangladesh, 2006–2011"
    • Case Study 2: "Building Capacity, Changing Norms: Rapid Results in Madagascar, 2005-2009"

Watch:

    1. Introduction
    2. Capacity Traps
    3. How Capacity Traps Arise: Part 1
    4. How Capacity Traps Arise: Part 2
    5. The Toolkit: Part 1
    6. The Toolkit: Part 2
    7. The Toolkit: Part 3
    8. Two Case Studies
    9. Rapid Results as an Alternative
    10. Reflections on Rapid Results
    11. Conversation with Nadim Matta

Assignments:

    • Discussion Forum Assignment:  Capacity  Problems
    • Practicum Option Two: Project Management Basics

TOPIC 7: COORDINATING ACROSS GOVERNMENT (DECEMBER 9)

Readings:

    • Case Study 1: "Improving the Policy Process: Ghana Tries to Build Support for Cabinet Decision Making, 2003–2008"
    • Case Study 2: "Translating Vision into Action: Indonesia's Delivery Unit, 2009–2012," or "Shifting the Cabinet into High Gear: Agile Policymaking in Rwanda, 2008–2012," or "Moving Beyond Central Planning: Crafting a Modern Policy Management System, Latvia, 2000–2006"

Watch:

    1. Introduction
    2. Coordination Capacity and Coordinating Capacity
    3. Principle Agent Problem Revisited
    4. Story: Ghana's John Kufuor Tries to Improve the Cabinet Office
    5. Delivery Units
    6. Rwanda Reconfigures the Cabinet Office
    7. Indonesia and Broader Comparisons
    8. Problems and Remedies
    9. Death of Parliamentary Government? Not Necessarily
    10. Interview with Andy Ratcliffe

Assignments:

    • Quiz Option 1: Translating Vision into Action (Indonesia)
    • Quiz Option 2: Shifting the Cabinet into High Gear (Rwanda)
    • Quiz Option 3: Moving Beyond Central Planning (Latvia)
    • Discussion Forum Assignments: Delivery Unit 
    • Practicum Option Three: Communications

TOPIC 8: INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION (DECEMBER 16)

Readings:

    • Case Study 1: "Mapping a Transformation Journey: A Strategy for Malaysia's Future, 2009–2010"

Watch:

    1. Introduction
    2. Institutional Transformation
    3. Singapore as Fragile States
    4. Singapore First Steps
    5. Singapore Strategy
    6. Singapore Institutional Capacity
    7. Moving Beyond Singapore
    8. Leverage Points: Political Will
    9. Leverage Points: Timing

Assignments:

    • Quiz: Institutional Transformation
    • Discussion Forum Assignment: Extending Reform
    • Practicum Option Four: Strategy Development