Natalia Mirovitskaia, 14 MIDP fellows participate in Policy Sciences Annual Institute hosted by the World Bank

Natalia Mirovitskaia, professor of practice, and 14 Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) fellows traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 2023 Policy Sciences Annual Institute hosted by the World Bank.

With the theme “The Policy Sciences and the Future of Development,” the Society of Policy Scientists conference emphasized the application of Policy Sciences to address the range of development challenges set out by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Topics explored included foreign assistance, climate change-related conflicts, law and policy, women’s inclusion in leadership and decision-making roles, food security, and more. 

In the “Toward a Policy Sciences Academy” session, Mirovitskaia presented her views on the design and main goals of the Policy Sciences Academy, a new project launched by the Society.

Joining Society members, practitioners and academicians from across disciplines, the MIDP fellows gained firsthand exposure to the inner workings of a global institution dedicated to international development and policy formulation.

“Attending the conference was one of the best things I did during my year at school,” Hyeyoung Ko MIDP’23 said. “It was impressive to see how the Policy Analysis we are learning is crucial in the real world.”

“The development field is constantly evolving; new lessons emerge continuously about approaching problems in particular contexts, subject to specific conditions, or as commonly expressed by development organizations, ‘what works, where, and why,’” Mirovitskaia shared. “Each new lesson is a step toward the achievement of a new development paradigm which transcends narrow disciplinary boundaries, emphasizes open access to new knowledge and facilitates the availability of new tools and technologies for sustainable human productivity. The 2023 Policy Sciences Institute was designed as a basis to exchange such lessons.”

Established in 1995, the Society of Policy Scientists seeks to advance knowledge and practice in the policy sciences in the service of human dignity for all. It has an international membership of policy analysts, policymakers, program practitioners, academics and students dedicated to using and contributing to a comprehensive, problem-oriented approach to addressing important policy challenges. The Society is the publisher of the Policy Sciences, one of the most influential journals in policy field.

The Sanford School of Public Policy and the Duke Center for International Development co-hosted the 2022 Policy Sciences Annual Institute at Duke.

Policy Sciences Annual Institute

MIDP fellows met several Society members including Bill Ascher, founder of the Duke Center for International Development, and Craig Hammer, secretary of the World Bank’s Data Governance Body, senior program manager of the World Bank’s Global Data Facility and chair of the 2023 Policy Sciences Annual Institute.

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Professor Natalia Mirovitskaia served as a panelist in the “Toward a Policy Sciences Academy” session.

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MIDP fellows also met with several MIDP alumni who work at the World Bank.

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