• Blended
    Session Date
    -
    Application Deadline
    Program Fee
    $12,900
    Faculty Chair
    Matthew Andrews
    Program Director
    Jessie DeLano
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    This program consists of online, on campus, and action learning components divided into three phases over the five-month program, with an optional fourth phase:

    Phase 1 (Three Weeks): Includes one live session and two self-paced online modules weekly
    Phase 2 (One Week): The on-campus program in Cambridge, MA.
    Phase 3 (Fourteen Weeks): The online action learning component 
    Phase 4:  Join the Community of Practice and engage with all IPP program alumni

    Program Fee: The program fee includes tuition, housing and most meals during your time on campus, and curricular materials.
    Executive Certificate: This program is a core program in the Public Leadership and Public Policy concentrations. This program can also be used as a third program for any concentration in the Executive Certificate series.
    Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): This program aligns with one or more Executive Core Qualifications.

    Curious about the IPP experience? Read alumni stories on the IPP cohort blog.

Program Overview

Why is policy implementation failure so common? What can be done to overcome challenges and roadblocks so that we can achieve successful policy outcomes more frequently and make real change happen?

New public policy ideas that promise to solve many of society’s problems are constantly emerging in governments, nonprofit and corporate organizations across the world. Unfortunately, studies show that more than half of these ideas fail during implementation, thus falling short of achieving their intended—and much needed—results.

Implementing Public Policy is designed to equip policymakers around the world with both the skills to analyze policies, as well as the field-tested tools and tactics to successfully implement them. The program is innovative and practical. It builds on the traditional executive education program experience through a five-month engagement that blends online, on campus, and applied action learning.

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PROGRAM CURRICULUM

This program follows a blended learning format offering a combination of both online and on campus learning, as well as action learning components—where new ideas are applied to daily implementation challenges. The program will be delivered over a period of five months and will include four components.

Three Weeks Online: You will complete an online component that will allow you to reflect on your implementation challenge and consider several issues, such as: are your stakeholders in favor of this change? How will politics affect it? What is your budget?

One-Week On Campus: At Harvard, you and your peers will be immersed in an intense, interactive environment with Harvard faculty and practitioners to discuss your respective challenges, and explore different implementation methods that could help achieve your policy goals. 

Fourteen Weeks Action Learning: Once you return to your organization, you will continue to work on your implementation challenge using the tools and tactics you learned while at Harvard. You will continue to engage with faculty and fellow participants in an online moderated environment, sharing your experiences, learning, challenges, and breakthroughs.

Community of Practice: Members can choose to participate in monthly virtual events and meetings with Implementing Public Policy alumni and faculty.

TIME COMMITMENT

Phase I Online  – 3 Weeks

  • Weekly Self-Paced Study (8 - 12 hours)
  • Weekly Live Faculty Sessions (2.5 hours) 

Phase II On Campus – 1 Week

  • Participants will be immersed in the program from 7:30-5:30 pm daily, with 3-4 class sessions and peer learning groups each day.

Phase III Online - 14 Weeks

  • Bi-weekly Self-Paced Study (4 - 6 hours)
  • Bi-weekly Live Faculty Sessions (2.5 hours)

Phase IV - Optional Community of Practice

  • Monthly virtual meetings with faculty and alumni

Learning Objectives

During the program, you will explore different implementation methods that could help achieve your policy goals, with a focus on Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation.  

  • Plan and Control (Programmed Implementation) – effective when there are low levels of uncertainty and little new learning is needed.
  • Adaptive Management (Agile or Design Thinking) – appropriate when the general direction of the policy is known, but more specifics about the policy product or context is needed.
  • Facilitated Emergence (Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation) – a “learn while you go” strategy used when there are high levels of uncertainty about political support, context and available resources, and a lot of learning is required in the implementation process.

Application Information

Implementing Public Policy is designed for mid-level to senior policymakers from the public, nonprofit, and corporate sectors who are confronting substantial challenges (e.g. infrastructure, social issues, economic growth) in policy implementation. The broad spectrum of professional backgrounds and perspectives of participants will help shape the learning process. You should come prepared to contribute to conversations, be challenged, gain new insights into successful policy implementation, and exercise leadership. This is your opportunity to join a remarkable community.

Explore alumni stories in the IPP cohort blog.

​​​​​​Your Implementation Challenge: When you submit your application, you will identify your implementation challenge, which will form the basis of your learning throughout the five-month program.

View a sample program schedule for Phases I and III (online).

View a sample program schedule for Phase II (on campus).

WHAT PARTICIPANTS ARE SAYING

“It was refreshing that [Implementing Public Policy] focused on the realities of working in government, acknowledging the complexities of that context, and providing strategies that work for approaching the types of big problems government is there to add
TRICIA KOVACS, DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FOR TRANSPORTATION MARKETING, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
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Hear From the Faculty Chair

Matt Andrews discusses why he created the Implementing Public Policy executive program.

Faculty & Research

Matthew Andrews Photo

Matthew Andrews

Edward S. Mason Senior Lecturer in International Development

Monica Higgins photo

Monica Higgins

Kathleen McCartney Professor of Education Leadership
Harvard Graduate School of Education

Robert Wilkinson Photo

Robert Wilkinson

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Leadership

Alumni Spotlight: Hear from Participants of Implementing Public Policy

Hear from alumni of the Implementing Public Policy executive program at Harvard Kennedy School, led by Faculty Chair Matt Andrews.

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