Leadership, Innovation, & Design

INAF U6016 Cost-Benefit Analysis. 3.00 Points.

Prerequisites: SIPA U4200 or SIPA U6400 or SIPA U6401
Pre-req: Microeconomics. This course aims to provide an introduction to cost-benefit analysis and the economic evaluation of government or development programs, projects and policies. The course consists of two parts: theory/methodology in the first half of the semester and application of the learned concepts through an analysis of various case studies in the second half. Case studies will cover the full range of possible applications of CBA -from early education, social policy, health, urban planning, transportation and energy to environmental regulations. Case studies will cover both the US and developing country contexts. In the second half of the semester students will be expected to apply what they have learned by carrying out a cost-benefit analysis on a topic of their choice. The project is expected to include all components of a professional CBA - description of policy or program scenarios to be evaluated, compilation and monetization of the main costs and benefits, development of an Excel model including discounting and sensitivity analysis

INAF U6053 Creating a Social Enterprise. 3.00 Points.

The course will focus on the knowledge and skills required to develop an idea, thoughtfully plan, articulate and pitch a new social enterprise, venture or business. This course is a workshop, not a lecture course. Students will work on projects in teams to brainstorm - define ideas, engage in customer discovery - development, create viable business models - budgets and be able to pitch their idea to potential partners and investors. Components of the course include: 1) Design Thinking, Ideation and Prototyping; 2) Business Planning and Budgeting; 3) Social Impact Measurement; 4) Pitching ideas.

INAF U6124 Building ＆ Scaling Social Impact Programs. 3.00 Points.

This course aims to help students understand and define social impact and its role in today's policy and social justice landscape by unpacking various types of social impact programs and evaluating them through the lens of their effectiveness relative to other approaches to solving complex problems. The class will look at impact through from multiple perspectives including business, government, and nonprofits. Students will both learn how to assess social impact and evaluate their effectiveness in comparison to other types of interventions. As well, they will develop and design a social impact program framework for both a business and a nonprofit.

INAF U6125 Scale Up Ventures: Growing a Business Outside of Silicon Valley. 3.00 Points.

This course is specifically designed for SIPA students, which means that we look at the world of scaleups from two different perspectives: First, the bottom-up approach, where you will need to think like an entrepreneur. How do you achieve scale by leading the attraction and retention of talent, capital, and customers? And second, the top-down approach, where you will need to think like an ecosystem builder: Which policies and actions are effective to help scaleups attract top talent, capital, and more customers in any given city or region? For example, you'll be surprised to learn that some policies that help startups end up hurting scaleups, and vice-versa.

INAF U6126 Design for Social Innovation. 3.00 Points.

Are you interested in tackling complex problems through human-centered design? Design For Social Innovation (DFSI) is a 3.0-credit, application-only course taught by Professors Sarah Holloway and Adam Royalty, where 30 students from across Columbia's schools work in teams to help social enterprises, nonprofits, and public sector organizations solve complex global problems through human-centered design. The course meets at the Columbia Entrepreneurship Design Studio. Applications for the Spring 2025 term are currently open and will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, November 18, 2024. Apply Here

INAF U6128 Finance ＆ Development: Impact Investing ＆ Financial Innovation. 1.50 Point.

Pre-requisites: Instructor-Managed Waitlist ＆ Course Application. This condensed course provides a solid understanding of impact investing and financial innovation, at the intersection of public policy, development, entrepreneurship, finance and law. We combine a theoretical approach, practical experience in emerging markets and case studies (e.g. education in Brazil, microfinance in Mexico and India, FinTech in Kenya and Brazil). Students are expected to develop personal projects in lieu of the exam (papers or business plans). We welcome students from SIPA and other schools. Within the larger category of Sustainable Finance, Impact Investing is attracting growing interest from investors, academia and the third sector. Impact investing allocates resources with a financial, social and environmental return, while the impact is both intentional and measured. We analyze the latest global trends in Impact Investing, its revolutionary proposal and its limitations. Financial innovation plays a central role in the impact agenda, through innovative financial instruments such as social impact bonds or green bonds, and through inclusive financial services boosted by FinTech.

INAF U6129 Storytelling and The Art of Creating Social Impact Campaigns. 3.00 Points.

Pre-requisites: Instructor-Managed Waitlist ＆ Course Application. Priority Reg: LID and TMaC Specializations. Was the pro-life narrative strategy a decisive factor in overturning Roe v. Wade? After countless videos of police brutality, why did the video of George Floyd’s murder dramatically accelerate the pace of cultural and policy change? After years of campaigns to reduce teen pregnancy, how was it that a TV show became one of the main drivers of reducing teen pregnancy to the lowest point in recorded history? After losing 31 state referendums, why did a new narrative approach enable the gay marriage campaign to start winning nationwide? These questions and storytelling examples are part of broader social impact campaigns which combined the right mix of strategy and narrative to create change. A social impact campaign is one that creates a significant change that addresses a pressing social issue. Often, there is too little focus on the power of narrative to change behavior and drive action. This class will explore all aspects of social impact campaigns that harness the power of “effective” stories to engage audiences and prompt action. Additionally, we will investigate how corporations and brands develop campaigns and how they partner with the government, foundations and NGOs. Students will have the chance to question some of the leading creators/practitioners as they create their own social impact campaigns.

INAF U6131 Impact Investing: Essential Skills. 1.50 Point.

Impact investing is young but fast-growing industry. An increasing number of philanthropists, traditional investors, and asset managers look to impact investment as a compelling asset class. Entrepreneurs tackling social and environmental issues are finding in impact investors a more reliable and better-aligned source of capital to finance their ventures. The industry requires a committed, talented, and well-prepared pool of capital to continue evolving and growing. This class aims to provide the students with some of the essential skills and tools they will require to work and thrive in the impact investing industry. This is an experiential course designed to introduce students to impact investing and provide them with the skills used by impact investors every day. Students will work on the key "products" required in an impact investment transaction, including: assessing a possible impact investment; writing an investment memo with a full impact analysis, and presenting an investment proposal to a group of seasoned impact investors. COURSE DATES MAY VARY. SEE SYLLABUS FOR EXACT DATES ＆ TIMES

INAF U6137 Social Value Investing: a Framework for Cross Sector Partnerships. 3.00 Points.

Social Value Investing provides a new methodology to more effectively address some of society’s most difficult and intractable challenges. Although many of our world’s problems may seem too great and too complex to solve—inequality, climate change, affordable housing, food insecurity—solutions to these challenges do exist, and will be found through new partnerships bringing together leaders from the public, private, and philanthropic sectors. This course presents a five-point management framework for developing and measuring the success of such partnerships. Inspired by value investing—one of history’s most successful investment paradigms—the framework provides tools to maximize collaborative efficiency and positive social impact, so that major public programs can deliver innovative, inclusive, and long-lasting solutions. The course also provides students with practical insights on the ways that public, private, and nonprofit managers and policy advisors are trying to build successful cross-sector collaborations. This course is founded on a mix of management theory, tools for effective public management, and exposure to real-world situations that have challenged conventional management styles. In addition to readings from the textbook, students will prepare for weekly lectures and discussion through reading relevant articles, case studies in PDF format, and links to short video content provided on Canvas. Lectures will combine presentations, case method teaching, discussion, content provided on Canvas, group exercises, and guest speakers. You should come to each lecture prepared to engage in a lively dialogue with prepared questions.

INAF U6186 Community Economic Development. 3.00 Points.

This course will provide an overview of the community development industry. Tracing the evolution from a nascent movement to organize blighted inner-city neighborhoods to today's multi-billion dollar industry, the course will examine how community development happens, the way communities set development priorities, the financial tools used to accomplish projects, and how key partners interact. The course will explore how affordable housing, health care, schools, childcare, and retail development projects interact to turn neglected neighborhoods into communities of choice. The level of financial and underwriting analysis will not require previous real estate finance experience. Particular attention will be paid to the role of community development corporations, community development financial institutions, direct public subsidies, and the role of banks and the Community Reinvestment Act.

INAF U6226 Leadership ＆ Innovative Policy Making. 3.00 Points.

In this course the students will (a) master key themes in leadership development and policy making, (b) increase their own leadership and policy making capacities through reflection and discussion and (c) evaluate the leadership record of an extraordinary policy leader. The goal of the three-pronged approach is to prepare students for understanding and exercising leadership-executive ability in government, non-governmental organizations, and business. Leadership is the ability to influence people towards achieving a goal. An important part of the SIPA mission is to prepare students for leadership and innovative policy making. In this course we will examine leadership and policy making out of the box as well as inside the box by having students tackle several key themes and some specific questions. The themes include issues such as, are leaders born or made? What kind of leaders design and implement good versus bad policies? Can nudging and innovative policy making substitute for forceful policy intervention? To what extent are economic and political outcomes products of leadership as opposed to external environment?

INAF U6269 Climate Tech and Regenerative Entrepreneurship. 3.00 Points.

The course will focus on the knowledge and skills required to research, ideate, thoughtfully plan, and pitch a new business aimed at mitigating climate-related challenges. The course will serve as a laboratory for students to sharpen their entrepreneurial abilities and deepen their understanding of climate change and related challenges, and how to meaningfully address them. Teams will work on challenges addressing vital systems (food, water, energy), built systems (buildings, mobility, cities), care systems (health, mental health/climate grief, etc) and aimed at sharpening their entrepreneurial abilities and deepening their understanding of climate change and related challenges, and how to meaningfully address them to support a just transition to a regenerative future. Class process will include: 1) identifying and defining a climate challenge they want to solve; 2) engaging in research, need finding, customer discovery and development; 3) ideation for mitigation and adaptation solutions; 4) Prototyping for customer/expert feedback; 5) Creations viable implementation plans ＆ budgets; and 6) practiing pitching to potential partners and investors.

INAF U6889 Impact Measurement ＆ Evaluation for Sustainable Development. 3.00 Points.

In a world driving towards the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, the measurement and evaluation (M＆E) toolkit is critical for holding governments, philanthropies, impact investors and others accountable for creating benefit, preventing harm and contributing to effective solutions. During this course, we will explore both the demand and supply side of generating data and evidence for decision-making in the 21st century. We will also learn practical M＆E skills that can be applied across all professions and thematic sectors and that are tailored to meet the needs of diverse stakeholders. Finally, we will ground-truth concepts and theories through discussions with experts and practitioners as well as place-based use cases (primarily from Asia and Africa) of the challenges and opportunities in measuring and evaluating impact. Students can expect to develop the critical skills needed to ensure they are able to navigate, negotiate and facilitate their way to a quality measurement and evaluation plan.

INAF U6903 Emerging Digital Tech for Impact. 3.00 Points.

Priority Reg: MPA-DP and LID Specialization. The course is a practical guide for development practitioners and policymakers to leverage the transformative potential of emerging digital technologies for social and environmental impact. Students will gain a strong understanding of Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Blockchain Technologies, and the Internet of Things (IoT) by exploring their core principles, key terminology, and the fundamentals of digital infrastructure. Analyzing real-world case studies will allow them to identify best practices and potential pitfalls for impactful deployment while critically assessing the challenges of scaling and implementation to ensure lasting social and environmental change. Building on over two decades of experience in ICT4D, the course addresses persistent obstacles like reinventing the wheel, limited resource access, digital literacy gaps, and connectivity constraints, among many others. The curriculum includes 1) A comprehensive review of the historical impact of digital technologies, 2) detailed overview of digital infrastructure and how the Internet works, 3) Deep dives into four types of emerging technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Blockchain Technologies, and IoT.) their challenges, their successes and their future potential., and 4) a critical analysis of the principal challenges associated with scaling and effectively implementing emerging technologies to finally identified the enabling infrastructure and ecosystem variables needed for emerging digital technologies to succeed. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, it draws insights from practical case studies and features expert guest speakers from diverse backgrounds – private and public sectors, academia, government, and multilateral organizations. This strategic and context-aware learning experience equips students with the knowledge and skills to harness the power of emerging technologies and propel the development sector forward.

INAF U6913 People Management and Building Organizational Cultures. 1.50 Point.

This course is an immersive, intellectually rigorous and interactive exploration of the main issues and trends within managing people and building organizational culture. The course is designed to endow students with the essential skills for effective people management within diverse organizational and cultural environments. Through a blend of theory, simulations, role-play, and case studies, this course delves into the intricacies of attracting, retaining, (re)skilling and sustaining talent in the ever-evolving workplace from the viewpoint of managing performance and building resilient organizational cultures. Students will engage in hands-on learning experiences reflecting real-life challenges such as designing organizational architectures, fostering inclusive workplaces, designing incentives and reward systems, and navigating complex negotiations for talent retention. The curriculum bridges theoretical frameworks with practical execution, enabling students to develop robust strategies for building and nurturing dynamic cultures that align with organizational goals. Topics include crafting compelling visions and mission statements, developing frameworks for continuous talent development, establishing optimal incentive structures for performance management and implementing conflict resolution mechanisms that foster a collaborative and productive organizational climate. By the course's end, students will be adept at managing and enhancing human capital to drive organizational success and adaptability in a rapidly changing global market

INAF U6917 Leading Global Innovation - Social Impact Cases, Strategies, and Tools. 3.00 Points.

This course is designed for future leaders who want to challenge and transform existing ways of working for a greater positive impact on society. You will gain technical skills needed to bring innovative mindsets and skills like Human-Centered Design (HCD), Futures Thinking and other methods to projects and programs through a combination of lectures and assignments. At a higher level, they will learn what is needed to launch and manage innovation strategies and projects within and through organizations (including NGOs, INGOs, and private sector companies). Innovation methods can be applied to any sector. However, for Fall 2024, we will heavily lean on the Energy and Health sectors for case studies and real-life learning

PUAF U6028 Public-Private Partnerships To Foster Effective, Sustainable ＆ Scalable Nonprofits. 1.50 Point.

This course is designed for students interested in establishing, working in, or leading non-profits or creating social value through partnerships between non-profits, businesses, and government. The course will deepen students’ understanding of (1) the non-profit sector and (2) partnerships between non-profits, businesses, and government. Students will learn through cases involving a variety of non-profits, businesses, and governments. The cases include a range of industries (e.g., housing, sports, education, conservation, transportation, and drugs); non-profits (e.g., Habitat for Humanity International, BRAC, the Red Cross, and Homeless World Cup); companies (e.g., Nike, Walmart, and GlaxoSmithKline); and countries (e.g., France, Brazil, India, and the US).

PUAF U6135 Civic Innovation ＆ Designing for People. 1.50 Point.

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

Governments worldwide are looking for innovative ways to better serve the public and provide services more efficiently and effectively. This course uses examples from current and recent innovation efforts to investigate what ‘innovation’ means in government. In particular, the course will introduce how the Agile and human-centered methodologies used to design and build successful consumer products are applied in government to design more effective policies, programs, and services. The course aims to show students how they can work creatively in policy environments to develop new people-centered solutions to complex social problems. To this end, the course takes a blended approach to learning, combining hands-on design studios that teach actionable methods with readings and lectures on analytical frameworks for developing new approaches to serving people.

PUAF U6145 Civic Innovation: Design in Practice ＆ Imagination. 3.00 Points.

Priority Reg: LID or TMaC Specializations. Civic Innovation: Design in Practice ＆ Imagination is an introduction to how human-centered design methodologies are being used in government contexts and to the human questions that preoccupy designers working to innovate around policy and service delivery. The course explores the utility of design methods for addressing current-day public-sector and social challenges – and for inventing the policy and social solutions of the future. This new seminar course brings together readings in social theory, applied methods from design-driven innovation practice, and student-led case studies in current and future civic innovation efforts. Its particular focus is on broadening students' understanding of results-oriented civic innovation tactics to encompass ongoing debates around power, data, embodiment, community, craft, and meaning.

PUAF U6312 Campaign Management. 3.00 Points.

Together we are going to learn how to plan, manage, and execute the major elements of a modern American campaign using skills that can be applied to all levels of the electoral process. What are the elements of a modern political campaign? How are those pieces executed? How do we get the people elected (or un-elected) which impacts Public Policy for decades? If you are interested in political campaigns, this is your chance to learn directly from top experts in the field about the various tools and strategies used in all aspects of American politics and campaigns today. Although this is a course focusing on practical competence, empirical political theory and relevant political science will be applied to our work. Guest lecturers, simulations, and additional materials such as videos and handouts will augment the course. When we are done, you will know what you need to do, and where you need to turn, in order to effectively organize an election campaign. The curriculum is ambitious, specialized, and task-specific. This is not a course in political science, but rather a hands-on, intensive training seminar in campaign skills. By May, you will be able to write a campaign plan, structure a fundraising effort, hire and work with consultants, plan a media campaign (both paid and unpaid), research and target a district, structure individual voter contact, use polling data, understand the utility of focus groups, write press releases, conduct advance work on behalf of your candidate, manage crises, hire and fire your staff, and tell your candidate when he or she is wrong. Our aim is to make you competent and eminently employable in the modern era of advanced campaign technology. For the purposes of this class, you will design a campaign plan for a political race. To make this more interesting (and realistic), you will be provided with information and situations throughout the semester that will require you to plan, anticipate, and adapt your campaign plan to the changing realities inherent to every campaign. The course will be co-taught by Jefrey Pollock, the Founding Partner and President of Global Strategy Group, a premier strategic research and communications firm, who has advised numerous local and national political candidates and organizations; as well as, Camille Rivera, Partner at New Deal Strategies, an experienced policy and political legislative director with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry.

PUAF U6460 Benchmarking Skills for Process ＆ Organizational Improvement. 1.00 Point.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the structural basis of benchmarking. Using a public sector-based case study with “hands-on” group activities, as well as various other examples given by the instructors, this course will teach students the benchmarking process along with the different tools and techniques to be used in implementation.

PUAF U6801 Negotiation ＆ Conflict Resolution. 3.00 Points.

There are two purposes to this course: 1. to develop your ability to negotiate in a purposeful, principled and effective way; and 2. to teach you how to build consensus and broker wise agreements with others. Negotiation is a social skill, and like all social skills you have to practice it if you want to get better at it. To give you the chance to practice, we'll do a number of simulated negotiations in and out of class. We'll also use lectures, case studies, exercises, games, videos, and demonstrations to help you develop your understanding. As we advance in the course, our focus will shift from simple one-on-one negotiations to more complex ones involving many parties, agents, coalitions, and organizations

EMPA U6036 Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility. 3.00 Points.

Priority Reg: Executive MPA. This course will introduce students to the global context of CSR through comparative business perspectives. After considering the theoretical frameworks for undertaking CSR activities the course will addresses a number of public policy issues facing globalizing companies through a series of case studies. Under examination is the manner in which business and ethical considerations have impacted upon different social, labor, and environmental challenges. We will be asking students to consider: to what extent such factors have been, and will be, part of the corporate strategy decision-making process; why companies are having to adapt (or not) to different pressures; and whether they might sometimes be going above and beyond the standards required by regulation

EMPA U6105 Strategic Management of Information and Communication Technologies for the Public Good. 3.00 Points.

Strategic Management of Information and Communication Technologies for the Public Good” addresses the spectrum of policy issues, options, and critical decisions confronting senior managers in the public sphere. Classes will be taught by a combination of lecture, readings, and case. Each class will address policy, technical, and managerial challenges for a particular domain of practice from the introduction or use of established and leading-edge information and communication technologies (ICTs), among them cloud, mobile and social. Arenas may include, for example, health, education, energy, economic development, transportation, civic engagement, law enforcement, human resources, social services, transportation, or compliance and regulatory affairs. The cases will involve a variety of managerial dilemmas and decisions, from governance to transparency, performance management to project management, and be generalizable across multiple domains, arenas, and technologies. Our goal is to expose students to the broadest range of policy challenges, and technologies comprising ICTs in use in the principal domains of practice, giving students a comprehensive exposure to the issues and opportunities as managers encounter them today - and will in the very near future. The course is intended for general, non-technical managers and assumes no engineering capability greater than plugging in a USB stick.

INAF U6004 Application Development for Social Impact. 1.50 Point.

Priority Reg: DAQA Specialization. In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of programming so you can start writing web applications that can potentially be used in non-profit or public sectors. The course will be very hands-on and you are expected to code during the class. The topics will include - fundamentals of computer science, programming basics, data structures, client-server architecture, javascript, application programming interface, LAMP stack and web frameworks, design tools, scalability issues and infrastructure for application deployment. We will discuss some of these topics in the context of agile development methodology for startups. If you are interested in building a startup as a social entrepreneur, the tools and methods you learn in this course should help you in coding the first prototype of your application. As part of the final project, you are expected to build a fully functional web application. No programming background is required. Students are expected to complete all the reading assignments before the first day of class.

INAF U6041 Corporations and Human Rights. 3.00 Points.

This course is designed to allow students to learn about the growing importance of human rights and their impact in today's world. Through an in-depth examination of the field of business and human rights, students will gain an understanding of the existing and emerging international human rights framework relevant to business, learn ways in which business and human rights intersect, and be exposed to the range of methods and tactics being employed by human rights advocates and businesses to address their human rights impacts. By the end of the course, the student will have a firm grasp of the current business and human rights debates and be able to critically evaluate the efficacy of applying human rights standards to corporations and the effect of corporate practices on human rights. Classroom discussion will include a review of trends in human rights, the development of human rights principles or standards relevant to corporations, human rights issues facing business operations abroad, the growing public demand for greater accountability, strategies of civil society advocacy around business and human rights; collaborative efforts between business and non-profit organizations; and other issues managers must deal with. Through guest lectures, students can engage with business managers and advocacy professionals dealing with these issues firsthand. Attendance is mandatory in the first class session

INAF U6042 Energy, Enterprise and Development. 3.00 Points.

Energy, Enterprise and Development explores the conditions that characterize energy poverty in poor countries; traditional and non-traditional approaches to providing modern energy access to un-served and badly served populations; and, the relationship of energy to human development, environmental conditions and sustainability We examine examples of energy access enterprises, conduct country research, and each student designs an initiative appropriate to the results of that research. Using real examples we explore the issues that must be understood for energy enterprises to succeed in developing countries.

INAF U6085 Economic Development in Latin America. 3.00 Points.

This course aims at familiarizing students with historical and contemporary debates on Latin American economic development and its social effects. The focus of the course is comparative in perspective. Most of the readings deal, therefore, with Latin America as a region, not with individual countries. The first five classes are historical. After an initial overview of long-term historical trends and debates on institutional development in Latin America, it looks at the four distinctive periods of economic development: the “lost decades” after Independence, the export age from the late nineteenth century to 1929, the era of State-led industrialization, and the recent period of market reforms. The latter should be viewed as an introduction to the second part of the course, which deals with the major contemporary issues: macroeconomic management, trade policies, production sector trends and policies, income distribution and social policy. It will end with a session on the effects of recent crises on Latin America (Covid-19 and 2022-23 world crisis), and the ongoing debate on it future economic and social development

INAF U6372 Women and Leadership: Designing Policy for Gender Equity. 1.50 Point.

This course explores how public policy can support the development of women leaders. In recent years, efforts to increase the number of women in senior leadership positions on corporate boards, in C-suites and in government, have reflected a call for gender equity in the spaces controlling levers of power.

INAF U6604 Applied Econometrics. 3.00 Points.

Prerequisites: SIPA U6501

Prerequisite Course: SIPAU6501 - Quantitative Analysis II. The goal of this course is to enable students to evaluate the policy relevance of academic research. While academic research frequently considers treatments that approximate a potential public policy, such prima facie relevance alone does not inform policy. In particular, public policy is predicated on the credible estimation of causal treatment effects. For example, although researchers frequently document the strong correlation between years of schooling and better health, this tells us surprisingly little (and arguably nothing) about the health effects of public tuition assistance, compulsory school laws, or any other program that raises educational attainment. Policies guided by statistical correlations - even the regression-adjusted estimates that dominate the academic literature - will frequently have unintended and even perverse real-world effects. Policymakers must distinguish between causal estimates that should inform policy design and statistical correlations that should not. The catch is that distinguishing correlation from causation in empirical studies is surprisingly difficult. Econometric technique alone does not provide a reliable path to causal inference. Applications of instrumental variables (IV) techniques, while wildly popular, arguably obscure sources of identification more often than isolating exogenous variation. Similar concerns apply to popular panel data and fixed effects (FE) models, which can eliminate certain unobservable sources of bias. Furthermore, causal claims by a study's author should be regarded with skepticism - frequently this is merely the marketing of a non-transparent statistical correlation. Put differently, when has a researcher portrayed his empirical result as a mere correlation when in fact he/she had identified a credible causal impact? A basic theme of the course is that identification strategy - the manner in which a researcher uses observational [real-world] data to approximate a controlled/randomized trial (Angrist ＆ Pischke, 2009) - is the bedrock of causal inference. Econometric technique cannot rescue a fundamentally flawed identification strategy. In other words, econometrics and identifications strategies are complements in the production of causal estimates, not substitutes. Examples of appropriate econometric technique applied to compelling identification strategies will be described to illustrate this approach (most often from health economics), along with their implications for public policy.

INAF U6698 Impact Investing II: Blended Finance. 1.50 Point.

Impact Investing II: Blended Finance'' equips students with a detailed understanding of the tools, strategies and innovative approaches being utilized by investors seeking both financial and impact returns, via blended finance transactions. Students in this course will study cases, dig into transactions and be prepared to be a professional contributor to a transaction at a future employer. Moreover, the course provides students with a further understanding of opportunities that blended transactions can provide impact investors as they aim to unlock capital markets' support to mitigate climate change, reverse biodiversity loss, address social inequality, reduce poverty, and generate other system-level challenges.

INAF U6762 Risk Management for UN Crisis ＆ Post-crisis Responses. 3.00 Points.

The objective of the class is to introduce students to the practice of risk management as a tool for enabling delivery across the range of UN responses in crisis and conflict contexts, including in the areas of peace and security, human rights, development and humanitarian support. The class emphasizes skills development and their application to concrete UN crisis responses

INAF U8350 Finance for the World's Poorest. 3.00 Points.

Category: EPD:Economic, Management

For the poorest, the lack of a safe convenient place to save and easy and timely access to small loans translates into doing without, selling assets and making decisions that keep families locked into poverty. The focus of this class is helping the poorest begin to move out of poverty by improving how they save, borrow, and manage their money. What you learn in class and through the readings will help you to design and implement large-scale, low cost even self-replicating projects. This in contrast to the sea of ill conceived, top down, expensive, small-scale, low performing development initiatives that are all too common. This class focuses on catalyzing the capacity of local people to take the lead on solving their own problems. We will cover various strategies for assisting the poorest: Microfinance, Mobile money, Savings Groups, Ultra-Poor Graduation Programs, Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) and Cash Transfer programs, and Traditional savings circles in developing and developed countries. This course will provide you with the practical tools you need to design and launch effective projects in the field. This course meets for seven four-hour sessions

INAF U8354 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Development. 3.00 Points.

The objective of this course is to understand the role of micro- and small- and medium- enterprises (MSMEs) in developing economies and to identify and assess a range of policies and programs to promote their development. By tracing the evolution of development thinking in finance and MSME development, students will be exposed to the intellectual underpinnings of -and practical tools used in- a wide variety of approaches to MSME development. Students will also become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the most common private sector development approaches currently being used by donor organizations and committed private sector actors, including the value chain approach.

PUAF U6206 How Government, Civil Society ＆ Corporations Solve Societal Problems. 3.00 Points.

The private sector has been widely criticized for economic and social conditions in the United States. Income inequality, the movement of jobs overseas, the disruption caused by technology, and the wide pay disparity between CEOs and employees are all placed squarely at the feet of leaders in the private sector. A historical review shows that much of the distrust of the private sector is justified. However, a review also shows ample examples, in the past and present, of private sector leadership shaping positive societal reforms. The substance of this course will entail a review of the past with lessons learned, where we are today in areas of critical concern to the nation, and most importantly, a review of specific next steps needed in the future to achieve real progress solving our most critical economic and social problems.

SIPA U6501 Quantitative Analysis II for International and Public Affairs. 3.00 Points.

Pre-req: Quant I. This course introduces students to regression analysis as a tool for policy analysis and program evaluation (i.e., econometrics). As future practitioners and policymakers, your professional decisions will impact the world in many ways. This course will equip you with the empirical skills needed to evaluate these impacts and assess the causal effects of programs and policies. The first half of the course will focus on the fundamentals of multiple regression analysis (including a review of Quant I), emphasizing causal inference. The second half builds on this foundation, introducing experimental and non-experimental methods widely used in empirical research and program evaluation. Note that this is not a math course. Instead of solving math problems, you will be asked to articulate the statistical concepts we have learned and how they relate to different policy settings. Beyond the technical and conceptual foundations, a key emphasis is developing the ability to apply and explain statistical concepts in non-technical language. This skill is crucial for communicating effectively with policymakers who are not statistical experts, as you would be expected to do in many jobs and with most audiences. This course will also prepare you to take any of SIPA’s Quant III courses. This course aims to achieve three broad goals: Develop the technical foundations and intuition to become intelligent consumers of statistical analysis for policy research and program evaluation. This enables you to assess empirical studies and articulate findings in non-technical language critically. Understand causal thinking and its role in interpreting data analysis and empirical studies. Build the skills to apply and explain statistical concepts in accessible language, fostering effective communication with policymakers and non-experts

SIPA U8500 Quantitative Methods in Program Evaluation and Policy Research. 3.00 Points.

Prerequisites: SIPA U6501
Pre-req: Quant II. The goal of this course is to provide students with a basic knowledge of how to perform some more advanced statistical methods useful in answering policy questions using observational or experimental data. It will also allow them to more critically review research published that claims to answer causal policy questions. The primary focus is on the challenge of answering causal questions that take the form Did A cause B? using data that do not conform to a perfectly controlled randomized study. Examples from real policy studies and quantitative program evaluations will be used throughout the course to illustrate key ideas and methods. First, we will explore how best to design a study to answer causal questions given the logistical and ethical constraints that exist. We will consider both experimental and quasi- experimental (observational studies) research designs, and then discuss several approaches to drawing causal inferences from observational studies including propensity score matching, interrupted time series designs, instrumental variables, difference in differences, fixed effects models, and regression discontinuity designs. As this course will focus on quantitative methods, a strong understanding of multivariate regression analysis is a prerequisite for the material covered. Students must have taken two semesters of statistics (SIPA U6500 ＆ U6501 or the equivalent) and have a good working knowledge of STATA