Planning for development impact: A practical workshop on international development

How do international development projects design and manage activities that are targeted towards a particular development impact? This two-part workshop will provide students with a hands-on opportunity to develop and apply these crucial design, planning, and management skills using a United States foreign aid project in Central America as a case study. The ubiquitous tools of theory of change, logical frameworks, and performance management planning will be explored within the context of the US Agency for International Development-funded, Lifelong Learning Project, carried out in Guatemala from 2014-2021.

After discussing the tools and their applications, students will work in teams to apply them to the project’s specific international development goals. At the end of each application, student recommendations will be compared to actual project decisions, and the class will examine the differences and various factors leading to those differences. To facilitate this process, students will be asked to complete one short reading (~five pages) in advance of the first workshop day.

By the end of the workshop, students will have gained a better understanding of how international development teams connect activities to impact, while adding marketable development management skills to their professional toolkit.

This workshop will be led by Amy Beck Harris, a post-doctoral fellow at the Ford School of Public Policy. Dr. Harris merges both experience as a former foreign aid implementation professional working on USAID and World Bank projects, and academic expertise in public management, international development, foreign aid contracting, and participatory development. Dr. Harris holds a PhD in Public Policy and Management from the University of Washington.

Participating students must agree to complete one short reading prior to the workshop. More details will be provided upon registration.