Anthony Saich
Daewoo Professor of International Affairs and the Harvard Kennedy School; Director of the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia
Bangladesh Public Administration Project
Working with public servants in Bangladesh to build the capabilities, skills, and knowledge to meet the country’s development goals
The Bangladesh Public Administration Project is a multiyear initiative housed at Harvard Kennedy School’s Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia. In collaboration with the Governance Innovation Unit (GIU) in the Prime Minister’s Office of Bangladesh, the purpose of this project is to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Bangladesh civil service and the individual capacity of its civil servants. Its activities are designed to ensure that public servants in Bangladesh have the capabilities, skills, and knowledge to meet the country’s development goals, which include accelerating progress towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs), attaining upper middle-income status by 2031, becoming a high-income ‘SMART Bangladesh’ by 2041, and transitioning to full environmental sustainability by 2100.
The project accomplishes this through three mutually dependent and integrated elements:
Rigorous curriculum review
We are collaboratively reviewing and revising curricula at three of the country’s public administration training entities: the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC), the Bangladesh Civil Service Administration Academy (BCSAA), and the Institute of Public Finance (IPF). The purpose of the review is to ensure content is up to date, the instruction techniques are learner-centered, and the trainings equip civil servants with the skills and capabilities necessary to meet the country’s development goals and serve the residents of Bangladesh.
Training and teaching
We are training a pool of 100 current and future public administration trainers on learner-centered, interactive pedagogical techniques to maximize student learning and engagement. We also plan to host workshops with Bangladesh senior leaders on topics related to the SDGs and other development goals.
Research
HKS faculty affiliated with the Bangladesh Public Administration Project conduct collaborative policy research with GIU officials, research fellows, students, and Bangladeshi colleagues. One aim of this collaboration is to build the research capacity of the Bangladesh civil service. Research also supports the development of curricular materials, such as teaching cases.
Meet the Team
Jay Rosengard
Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy
Director, Indonesia Public Policy Program
Jessica Creighton
Program Director, Bangladesh Public Administration Project
Malcolm McPherson
Academic Director, Bangladesh Public Administration Project
Sarzah Yeasmin
Project Manager, Bangladesh Public Administration Project
Edward Cunningham
Director of Ash Center China Programs and of the Asia Energy and Sustainability Initiative; Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy
Arnold Howitt
Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy
Jeeyang Rhee Baum
Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy
THE LATEST NEWS, RESOURCES, AND RESEARCH
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A Transformative Learning Experience for Civil Servants and a New Direction for Civil Service Pedagogy
The Bangladesh Public Administration Project’s 2024 pedagogy fellows use the case method to equip the next generation of civil servants to meet Bangladesh’s development goals.
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Rajawali Semester in Review
This past semester, the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia engaged in conversations and research on topics ranging from Indonesia’s election to US-Taiwan relations with the goal of continuing to develop policy solutions to the region’s most pressing concerns.
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Poised for continued growth, Bangladesh must first navigate geopolitical constraints
Speaking at Harvard Kennedy School, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen MC/MPA 1979 noted that the country plans to be poverty free by 2041. Yet challenges—like climate change and rising fuel costs—loom large.
