CID Student Seminars

CID Student Seminars will take place over the course of four in-person 75-minute sessions spread throughout the semester. Each session will have pre-readings of approximately 30-60 minutes to inform and spark discussion between students and speakers.

Crisis and Reform in Practice: Indonesia’s Experience and Lessons from Emerging Markets, facilitated by Muhamad Chatib Basri, CID Visiting Scholar

Managing economic crises and reform is never just a technical exercise. While economic theory can explain why change is needed, it rarely shows how to get it done, especially when politics, vested interests, and weak institutions stand in the way. Many well-designed policies fail not because they are flawed, but because they do not align with the political or bureaucratic context. You can’t run a “Star Wars” strategy through a “Jurassic Park” institution.

This seminar explores how governments actually manage economic crises and reform, focusing on the intersection of policy, politics, and institutions. Grounded in Indonesia’s experience over five decades, from crisis to recovery to reform, it examines what works in real-world policymaking and why. As Southeast Asia’s largest economy and a G20 member, Indonesia provides a compelling case study of how to implement reform in a dynamic, democratic, and often unpredictable setting.

But this course is not just about Indonesia. It is about how reform gets done in emerging markets more broadly. Students will explore transferable lessons on navigating political constraints, building coalitions, and adapting strategies to institutional realities. Alongside case-based discussions, the seminar includes interactive exercises and practitioner insights, offering a behind-the-scenes perspective on policy decisions and trade-offs.

By the end of the seminar, students will be equipped to bridge the gap between sound economic ideas and viable policy solutions. They will learn not only from Indonesia’s successes, but also from its setbacks—gaining a deeper understanding of how political constraints, institutional weaknesses, and shifting coalitions shape what is possible in reform.

The Critical Role of Development Finance Institutions, facilitated by CID Research Fellow Wasim Tahir 

For decades, development finance institutions (DFIs) have been the primary engines of investment-led development, structuring deals and mobilizing private capital where commercial capital feared to tread. In recent years, governments have strengthened and diversified the development finance architecture: Canada created its own DFI, FinDev Canada; China spearheaded the launch of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; and reform agendas such as Bridgetown have sought to unlock more from multilateral balance sheets. That wave of institutional expansion and reform is now colliding with a new set of political and fiscal pressures.

Traditional, grant-based aid is under visible strain: the dismantling of USAID, deep ODA reductions in major donor countries (including the UK’s drop from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI), and a broader reallocation of budgets toward domestic priorities. As concessional flows contract, investment-based approaches have shifted from being one option in the development toolkit to the dominant channel for delivering impact in EMDEs – placing DFIs, with their mandates, instruments, and risk appetite, squarely at the centre of how the international system will finance development in the decades ahead.

We begin by examining the history and landscape of development finance. We then dissect the anatomy of a DFI, exploring their operations, shareholding structures, transaction processes, and how they achieve and measure impact. Finally, we delve into topics increasingly relevant to the sector, including private capital mobilization, blended finance, climate finance, and peace-positive investing. By the end of the series, students will have a comprehensive understanding of the development finance landscape, the inner workings of DFIs and their critical role in global development.

Industrial Policy in Practice, facilitated by Vishnu Venugopalan, CID Research Fellow, Practitioner-in-Residence

How do some economies leapfrog traditional manufacturing to become global services powerhouses? What enables countries to climb from making low-value consumer goods to dominating advanced technology sectors like memory chips and smartphones? How do strategic policy choices transform nations into critical nodes in global supply chains, manufacturing components for the world's most valuable technology companies?

The answers lie in the strategic choices countries and regions make about what to produce, where to compete, and how to build capabilities. Governments worldwide are actively pursuing industrial development policies, embracing "productive transformation" - the deliberate effort to build diversified, resilient economies through strategic industrial policy. The question is no longer whether markets alone can organize global production, but whether governments can intervene wisely enough to build supply chains that serve broader social and strategic goals.

Modern industrial policy focuses on helping economies develop new capabilities and move into higher-productivity activities, including services. It's less about shielding existing industries and more about nurturing emerging ones, particularly in response to climate change, technological disruption, and supply chain vulnerabilities exposed by global crises.

This seminar examines industrial policy from the perspective of a developing economy, where nations navigate intense global competition while building on limited resources. Students will leave the seminar with practical frameworks for designing, implementing, and evaluating industrial policies that build productive capabilities and help countries meet their economic and political goals. Through case studies, simulations, and real-world policy analysis, participants will learn how to identify promising sectors, deploy policy tools effectively, and overcome the challenges that define industrial development in emerging markets.

Sovereignomics: The Politics and Economics of Sovereignty in a Shared World—insights from Africa and Beyond facilitated by Gomez Agou, incoming CID Senior Fellow

The seminar examines Africa’s quest for economic sovereignty in a rapidly shifting global order. It combines theoretical foundations, youth and policy perspectives, and practical applications. This seminar will introduce two innovative concepts: Sovereignty diagnostic and the sovereignty-cooperation paradox.

1. A Sovereignty Diagnostic Framework – a practical tool to assess a country’s sovereignty across multiple pillars, moving from abstract debate to operational measurement.
2. The Sovereignty–Cooperation Paradox – a reflection on whether more sovereign nations mean less cooperation with the West, or whether sovereignty can instead form the foundation of stronger, more equal cooperation. 

Women, Peace and Security – From Policy to Action facilitated by Mme. Bineta Diop, CID Research Fellow (co-sponsored by the Carr-Ryan Center)

The United Nations represents the multilateral system that united 193 countries working on common issues such as peace, security and development. The UN has 8 main organs and among them is the UN Security Council. The Mandate of the United Nations Security Council is to maintain international peace and security as stipulated in Chapter V of the UN Charter. Preventive diplomacy and peace keeping actions are part of the UN mission.  When violent conflicts erupt, rape is been used as a weapon of war. The UN have many times failed to protect women in war zones.  Rwanda is a typical case to analyse during the genocide in 1994.

Women are victims but they are also peace builders. Their unique position in society provides them with necessary skills on conflict resolution, mediation and peace building. Their experiences in development issues such as education, health, and natural resources have added value in peace negotiation. Researchers and advocates take the rights-based approach and analyze the extent to which the discrimination against women that exist in many patriarchal societies have influenced the creation of new systems. Many studies have demonstrated that, without their contributions, there is no lasting peace. Why has their participation and agenda been ignored in peace processes for so long?

In 2000, the UNSC adopted Resolution 1325, a groundbreaking instrument to protect women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence. What motivated this decision? Who are the key influencers among diplomats, governments and women’s advocates? Why is this Resolution and following Resolutions not fully implemented? Are sexual violence and rape recognized as crime against humanity? What roles do regional institutions such as the African Union play and what actions are being taken? Are they working in Silos and what are the missing links?  What are the attempts to bring together the development agenda, the peace and security agenda and Human rights agenda with a gender perspective?

The students who aspire to be future diplomats and peace experts will learn more about the role of women in peace processes. They will consider the impact of women participation, their protection, the preventive measures to be adopted to combat violence against women during conflict. It is imperative to wear gender lens and adopt human security dimension in peace negotiations to achieve lasting peace agreements. Leadership of women could bring more effective solutions. Participants will explore ideas on how to bridge the gap between peace and security, development and women human rights.

Structure: Understanding the impact of war on women and the institutions in charge of peace and their protection; Engaging in diplomatic services and other institutions and learning how to draft and use the legal instruments on WPS in multilateral system; Case studies: identifying the role of women and other actors, and the skills needed to be effective in peace and development processes; Working in the field and mapping the structures dealing with subjects for effective implementation; Skills to become an international peace expert

Crisis and Reform in Practice: Indonesia’s Experience and Lessons from Emerging Markets, facilitated by Muhamad Chatib Basri, CID Visiting Scholar

• Dates: Thursdays: October 30, November 6, November 13, November 20
• Time: 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm ET; lunch will be served
• Location: Harvard Kennedy School, Rubenstein 429 – Perkins Conference Room
• Office hours: TBC

The Critical Role of Development Finance Institutions, facilitated by Wasim Tahir , CID Research Fellow

• Dates: Wednesdays: October 29, November 5, November 12, November 19
• Time: 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm ET; lunch will be served
• Location: Harvard Kennedy School, Rubenstein 429 – Perkins Conference Room
• Office hours: For one-on-one support on development finance and DFIs, click here to book office hours with Wasim Tahir (offered to seminar students, as well as to the broader Harvard community).

Industrial Policy in Practice, facilitated by Vishnu Venugopalan, CID Research Fellow, Practitioner-in-Residence

• Dates: Tuesdays: October 21, October 28, November 4, November 18
• Time: 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm ET; lunch will be served
• Location: Harvard Kennedy School, Rubenstein 429 – Perkins Conference Room
• Office hours: TBC

Sovereignomics: The Politics and Economics of Sovereignty in a Shared World—insights from Africa and Beyond facilitated by Gomez Agou, incoming CID Senior Fellow

• Dates: Tuesdays: October 21, October 28, November 4, November 18
• Time: 4:30pm - 5:45pm ET
• Location: Harvard Kennedy School, Rubenstein 429 – Perkins Conference Room
• Office hours: Available by appointment. Participants are encouraged to reach out via email to arrange a time for mentorship on reflection memos, diagnostics, or strategy briefs or any other subject of interest on politics, policies, and career development.

Women, Peace and Security – From Policy to Action facilitated by Mme. Bineta Diop, CID Research Fellow (co-sponsored by the Carr-Ryan Center)

• Dates: Thursdays, October 23 and 30, November 6 and 13
• Time: 4:30pm - 5:45pm ET
• Location: Harvard Kennedy School, Rubenstein 429 – Perkins Conference Room
• Office hours: TBC

Seminar participants are expected to commit to attending all seminar sessions and engaging as much as possible with the reading and content. All sessions are in-person. Each seminar can accommodate up to approximately 30 participants. Final seminar size will be determined based on applications received. The seminars are non-credit courses, no grades or assignments.

These seminars are open to undergraduate and graduate students across all schools at Harvard who are interested in international development. Students need not be experts on a seminar’s given topic, but they should be able to demonstrate interest in applying what they learn to positively influence their work.

Applications for Fall 2025 Seminars have closed.

Yes, students can apply to participate in more than one seminar if they are able to make all the classes. If applying to multiple, students should indicate their primary preference; final admittance decisions will factor in individual applications as well as overall demand.