About DCID
Our faculty, staff and students are driven by a shared vision – development that promotes peace and prosperity for all people. Through rigorous education for mid-career professionals, training programs for policymakers, and engagement informed by timely research, we are working to make this vision a reality.
Our work
The Duke Center for International Development (DCID), a unit within Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, focuses on promoting sustainable development and peace through its research, education, and engagement with students, policy makers, practitioners, development partners, civil society and the private sector.
We offer:
- The Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) degree program for mid-career professionals pursuing careers in policymaking and public service in developing countries
- Custom and open-enrollment Executive Education programs for mid-career and senior-level public policy professionals
- Short- and long-term advising in public finance and development management
- A Certificate in International Development Policy (IDP) for full-time graduate/professional students at Duke
We also co-host the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center, one of seven Rotary Peace Centers in the world, and maintain close collaborations with the World Bank, USAID and other international and bilateral agencies, as well as with consulting firms, foundations, universities, NGOs and national governments.
Our history
DCID was established in 1985 by Dr. William Ascher and Dr. Malcolm Gillis to focus on policy issues related to international development and to provide a forum for collaboration among scholars, professionals, practitioners and technical experts from around the world. Until 2001, it was known as the Center for International Development Research (CIDR).
DCID established the two-year Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) program, which has expanded to include one- and two-year master’s degree options, a certificate option, the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center, and the International Tax-Public Financial Management (IT-PFM) specialization within the MIDP.
In 2001, members of Harvard University’s Public Finance Group joined DCID’s faculty, greatly strengthening the center’s capabilities in overseas advising and executive education. Since then, DCID faculty members have provided policy advising services to countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and other regions throughout the world. Executive Education programs now include a series of regular, open-enrollment programs, as well as customized programs for specific governments and agencies, which are taught either at Duke or in the clients’ countries.
Today, DCID is represented around the world by an alumni base of over 6,000 individuals from more than 130 countries. The center’s research, teaching, advising and training initiatives are contributing in a real and positive way to sustainable development in countries around the world.
Our director
Edmund “Eddy” Malesky, PhD
Eddy Malesky, professor of political economy, is a noted specialist in economic development, authoritarian institutions, and comparative political economy in Vietnam. He joined the DCID as director on August 1, 2020.
