The Ash Institute offers over 200 case studies taught at Harvard Kennedy School and in public policy schools around the world, curriculum guides to courses at Harvard University on democracy and innovations, and an active program of support for HKS students. We also offer capacity building and training programs for practitioners in developed and developing countries.
Capacity Building Courses
Case Studies
Resources for the Innovative Public Manager
Join the Global Network
The Ash Institute encourages students to enrich their HKS experiences by joining its efforts to foster excellence in government around the world. The Institute offers a number of resources and opportunities for students passionate about promoting social justice, excited to discover the latest national and global government innovations, or interested in networking with their peers through our Global Network, a worldwide community of leaders dedicated to effective government and public service management.
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The Innovations in Governance program explores new modes of working across traditional jurisdictions and sectors to identify, understand, and address emerging social problems. |
The Ash Institute has developed several case studies based on winners of the Innovations in American Government Awards program, cases identified by HKS faculty, cases discussed at regional forums, or cases contributed by members of the Global Network of Government Innovators. The case study provides the reader with a focused description of how a policy was made, how an innovation was developed and implemented, or how the government works. It provides sufficient data for analysis of and comparison with alternative courses of action.
The Institute sponsors and / or produces two types of case studies:
- Descriptive Case Studies: Sometimes called "best practice cases," these cases illustrate and analyze examples of innovations in diverse domains and geographic areas.
- Teaching Case Studies: These cases are designed to raise provocative questions for classroom discussion, and to go to the heart of the problems and opportunities to which innovation responds. They are available to be ordered from the Kennedy School Case Program.
The Government Innovators Network is a marketplace of ideas and examples of government innovation for policy makers, policy advisors, and practitioners. Through its content – news, documents, descriptions of award-winning innovative programs, and events – and our online communities of practice, the Network strives to stimulate new ideas and bring people and ideas together around innovations in governance.
Stephen Goldsmith: 21st-Century Governance
A comprehensive site offering a variety of resources for public officials managing in the networked age. Highlights include materials related to Goldsmith’s experience as mayor of Indianapolis and “City Hall and Religion,” an online curriculum for public managers interested in urban revitalization through cross-sector collaboration. “Management Insights,” published with Governing.com, is a weekly column about the most important issues in public management. Click below for some of the highlighted features:
- Management Insights
- City Hall and Religion: An Online Curriculum for Public Managers
- The Indianapolis Experience
Upcoming Online Event
Online sessions for practitioners and academics on public problems, issues, and solutions.
Top News Stories in Innovations
A daily compilation of news stories on the latest innovations at all levels of government and across all policy jurisdictions around the US.
20 Years of Innovations
Hundreds of best practices in government innovation from the US and International innovation awards programs. Each award example found in this section provides a description of the innovation and contact information; many also include video clips, photographs, and related research and case study information.
The Global Network is a worldwide community of leaders and scholars dedicated to effective government and public service management. Students, scholars, and practitioners may join the Network and/or write articles for the Global Network newsletter.
For more information, contact Susan Valaskovic, Associate Director for International Programs and Training, at 617-495-2744 or susan_valaskovic@ksg.harvard.edu.