Shape a Blueprint for Change 

Effective leaders are called on to design, analyze, and recommend policies. Global leaders from every field, including government, business, nonprofits, and community organizations, must navigate dynamic systems to drive lasting impact.

Policy Design and Delivery courses, led by Michael Walton, senior lecturer in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, provide learners with strategies that empower them to scale, innovate, manage, and shape effective policies. These asynchronous A and B courses, included in achieving the Public Leadership Credential, demonstrate how intended results are feasible and implementable.

“I have found that the faculty, the guest speakers, and the diversity of the students have enriched my learning experience beyond my expectations.”
- Jill Wierbicki Abrahams, PLC Learner

Upcoming PLC Dates

January 2025 Capstone

Course Dates: Jan 7–21
Registration Deadline: Jan 2
Course Fee: $1,095

 

Register for the Jan. Capstone

Spring 1 Session (A and B Courses)

Course Dates: Jan 28–Mar 11
Registration Deadline: Jan 9
Course Fee: $1,095

 

Register for the Spring 1 Session

Spring 2 Session (A and B Courses)

Course Dates: April 1–May 13
Registration Deadline: Mar 13
Course Fee: $1,095

 

Register for the Spring 2 Session
Register for an exclusive information session or “Ask Me Anything” session to learn more about the PLC experience.
Register for a session

Faculty Lead

Michael Walton Photo

Michael Walton

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, Emeritus

Policy Design and Delivery

Faculty Spotlight

Through seriously trying to understand the nature of problems, how to design policy, and, most of all, how to implement policy effectively, we can effect change for a better world.

- Michael Walton

Key Learning Points

Develop essential tools and strategies in each Policy Design and Delivery course. After completing an A course, build upon your learning with a B course.

Course A

Course B

  • Examine the foundations of policy design and discover essential techniques and frameworks for identifying the root causes of policy problems and detecting leverage points for policy solutions through problem diagnosis.
  • Between misconceptions and technical correctness, discover what could impact a policy problem and who could be the key influencers by evaluating formal and informal authorization sources for policy approval/implementation. 
  • Learn how to design an effective policy by comparing different policy options, considering the tradeoffs, and then recommending the option most likely to succeed.
  • Stretch your understanding of innovation and scaling by learning to evaluate it in a policy context. 
  • Learn concrete tactics for building innovative policy solutions by understanding complex, dynamic systems, centering beneficiaries, and identifying areas for innovation. 
  • Learn how to audit authorization and design a political strategy that effectively navigates sensitive political and organizational aspects. 
Simplify complexities through purposeful policies.
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