Harvard Center for International Development
Harvard Center for International Development
Incredible progress has been made throughout the world in recent years. However, globalization has failed to deliver on its promises. As problems like unequal access to education and healthcare, environmental degradation, and stretched finances persist, we must continue building on decades of transformative development work.
The Center for International Development (CID) is a university-wide center based at the Harvard Kennedy School that seeks to solve these pressing development problems—and many more.
At CID, we believe leveraging global talent is the key to enabling development for all. We teach to build capacity, conduct research that guides development policy, and convene talent to advance ideas for a thriving world. Addressing today’s challenges to international development also requires bridging academic expertise with practitioner experience. Through collaborative, in-country partnerships, CID’s research programs, faculty, and students deploy an analytical framework and context-dependent approaches to tackle development problems from all angles, in every region of the globe.
The Center for International Development (CID) is a university-wide center based at the Harvard Kennedy School that seeks to solve these pressing development problems—and many more.
At CID, we believe leveraging global talent is the key to enabling development for all. We teach to build capacity, conduct research that guides development policy, and convene talent to advance ideas for a thriving world. Addressing today’s challenges to international development also requires bridging academic expertise with practitioner experience. Through collaborative, in-country partnerships, CID’s research programs, faculty, and students deploy an analytical framework and context-dependent approaches to tackle development problems from all angles, in every region of the globe.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 15, 2024 • 40min
Education Policy and Practice in the Global South: Insights from Pakistan
In this episode of our Road to GEM24 podcast series, Javed Malik, Program Director of the Malala Fund in Pakistan, dives into the realms of education, governance, and development. Tune in to listen to discussions on the role of evidence-based policymaking, challenges in education delivery, and the imperative of gender-focused interventions. Hosted by Usama Mohammed, a student at Harvard's Graduate School of Education
Apr 2, 2024 • 31min
Female Founders: Strategies for Investment in MENA and Beyond
Join us as we dive into strategies to foster investment in female founders, with a special focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Our guests, Katherine Coffman from Harvard Business School and Hela Cheikhrouhou from the International Finance Corporation, shed light on the barriers and disparities faced by female founders and advocate for gender-specific approaches to funding. Hosted by Alison Kim, a student at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Mar 26, 2024 • 43min
Zooming Into the LGBTQ+ Movement: Lebanon and Mexico
Dive into the vibrant LGBTQ+ movements of Lebanon and Mexico in our latest episode of "Zooming Into the LGBTQ+ Movement." Join us as we speak with two remarkable activists and entrepreneurs, Tarek Zeidan and Enrique Torre Molina. Tarek is the founder of Helem, the pioneering LGBTQ+ organization in the Arab world, while Enrique co-founded Colmena 41, an organization bridging entrepreneurship, advocacy, and narrative for the LGBTQ+ community. Stay tuned until the end to hear insights from all our guests on the future of international development in our "Zooming In and Out" segment. Hosted by Harvard Kennedy School MPA student, Evy Peña.
Mar 19, 2024 • 30min
Zooming Into the LGBTQ+ Movement: Brazil and Kenya
Join us as we zoom into the LGBTQ+ movement in Brazil and Kenya with Antonia Moreira (Atelier TRANSmoras Association) and Enosa Adera (Trans* Alliance). Antonia brings the power of fashion to the forefront, using it as a catalyst for advocacy and community building in Brazil. Meanwhile, in Kenya, Enosa confronts a legal landscape of criminalization, employing policy advocacy and representation to instigate transformative change. Evy Peña, HKS student, hosts this dynamic conversation uncovering the crossroads of identity, activism, and resilience.
Mar 12, 2024 • 47min
Zooming Out on the LGBTQ+ Movement Worldwide
Join Diego Garcia Blum, Director of the Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, and Professor Tim McCarthy, a Lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School and at the Harvard School of Education. Together, they navigate the complex terrain of the LGBTQ+ movement worldwide, delving into misinformation, elections, narrative strategies, and the enduring spirit of hope as the international sector continues to broaden its definition of gender. Hosted by Evy Peña, MPA student at HKS.
Feb 29, 2024 • 43min
Centering Gender in International Development
Join Harvard University's Center for International Development for the inaugural episode of 2024’s Road to GEM podcast series, setting the stage for CID's annual conference, which this year focuses on gender and development. In this episode, CID Executive Director Fatema Z. Sumar and Research Fellow Mara Bolis engage in a thought-provoking conversation about gender and international development—reflecting on the sector's progress, current status, and the path ahead. Drawing from their extensive field experiences, Fatema and Mara offer compelling perspectives on the necessary actions to shape a future where every individual, regardless of gender, can thrive.
Hosted by Evy Peña, MPA student at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Jan 17, 2024 • 33min
Fog Harvesting for Water Scarcity and other Climate Interventions
Welcome to the Harvard Center for International Development’s “Road to GEM23” Climate & Development podcast. CID's "Road to GEM23" series precedes and helps launch CID’s Global Empowerment Meeting (or GEM), Growing in a Green World on May 10th and 11th. At CID, we work across a global network of researchers and practitioners to build, convene, and deploy talent to address the world’s most pressing challenges. On our Road to GEM23, we strive to elevate and learn from voices from the countries on the frontlines of the climate crisis and will feature important learnings from the leaders who will be active participants at GEM23.
This week, we are joined by Atharv Agrawal, Wajed Nadine El-Halabi & Jina Yazdanpanah from University of Toronto to discuss their fog harvesting technology in Morocco and other climate related research.
Read more about GEM here: www.hks.harvard.edu/gem
Dec 7, 2023 • 39min
Mobilizing Communities Through Art
In this interview, Charles Hua, senior at Harvard College and CID student ambassador, speaks with Xavier Cortada and Adam Roberti. Cortada, a Cuban-American artist, seamlessly works across disciplines to engage communities, urging them to draw upon local experiences and unlock their inherent creativity. Adam Roberti is the executive director of the Xavier Cortada Foundation. Discover how Cortada and Riberti leverage socially engaged art as a powerful tool, creating experiences that educate, inspire, and mobilize communities to collectively combat climate and ecological crises. The conversation delves into the profound impact of art in solving community problems, emphasizing the importance of tapping into the creativity, knowledge, and wisdom of those residing on the front line, offering a unique perspective on how art can be a driving force for change.
Dec 7, 2023 • 24min
Navigating Cities and Climate Change
Navigating Cities and Climate Change by Harvard Center for International Development
Dec 7, 2023 • 29min
Bridging Communities and Tech in a Climate Crisis
Join Charles Hua, senior at Harvard College and CID student ambassador, as he engages in a thought-provoking interview with Shayan Chowdury, Founder of Reach4Help. This tech nonprofit is on a mission to connect people in need with trusted volunteer help across more than 38 countries, effectively coordinating logistics to understand needs and mobilize resources where they're most needed. Chowdury shares the organization's response to disasters, such as floods and fires, recognizing them as direct effects of climate change. This realization compelled him to shift focus and tackle the root cause—climate change itself. Discover how Reach4Help adopts a bottom-approach, relying on the expertise of local communities and providing space for on-the-ground experts in disaster relief.
