The Leadership Academy for Development Program

The Leadership Academy for Development (LAD), at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC), and Ilia State University are opening the application intake for the “The Role of Public Policy in Private Sector Development” workshop which will take place in Tbilisi, Georgia in the first week of March 2017.

About the LAD Program

General Information

The Leadership Academy for Development (LAD) is an executive-level training program that trains mid-level government officials and business sector leaders from developing countries to help the private sector be a constructive force for economic growth and development. LAD was co-founded by Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. For more information about LAD, please see http://cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/research/the_leadership_academy_for_development.

LAD Program in Georgia

The LAD Program in Georgia started in January 2016, the new course will take place in the first week of March 2017 and will be implemented jointly by CDDRL, the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) – a local think tank based in Tbilisi, Georgia. LAD in Georgia is supported by the Ilia State University.

“The Role of Public Policy in Private Sector Development” workshop is an intensive, five-day, executive-level training program that will teach selected participants how to be effective reform leaders, promoting sound public policies in complex and contentious settings. The LAD Program in Georgia will be led by CDDRL Director, Francis Fukuyama of Stanford University.

LAD Training Program Overview

A driving principle of the LAD curriculum is that policy reform is not like engineering or other technical fields that have discrete skills and clear, optimal solutions. Instead, successful reformers must be nimble and weigh a broad range of factors that influence policy outcomes. They must have a solid grasp of country-specific economic, financial, political and cultural realities. Most importantly, they must have a sense of how to set priorities, sequence actions and build coalitions. LAD provides participants with an analytical framework to build these abilities and operate effectively under adverse conditions.

LAD courses are based on case studies that are designed to encourage participants to think critically about the key decisions that have led to policy reforms. They are written from the perspective of decision-makers who have designed or executed specific policies and they demonstrate how effective public officials think and act strategically. The case studies show how these leaders address technical obstacles while simultaneously taking into careful consideration the political, cultural and social constraints to reforms. Also, the performance of the private sector and its role as either a catalyst or an obstacle to economic growth is closely connected to how well or badly government policies are designed and implemented. LAD provides participants with an analytical framework to build these abilities and operate effectively under adverse conditions.

About the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL)

The Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University engages in research, training, teaching, and organizes intellectual and policy dialogues aimed at increasing public understanding of economic and political development. Founded in 2002 CDDRL has collaborated with scholars, policymakers, and practitioners around the world to advance collective knowledge about the linkages between democracy, sustainable economic development, human rights and the rule of law.

About the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC)

The Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC) is a think-and do-tank that was founded in Tbilisi, Georgia in 2002. EPRC is created to build a contemporary economic research capacity in Georgia, to enhance economic decision making and to be an important voice in economic and policy discussions. EPRC is striving to enhance the quality of economic policy-making in Georgia by fostering high quality, policy-relevant economic research, and disseminating it widely to decision-makers in the public and private sectors. Throughout the past decade, EPRC has earned a reputation of an objective, reliable and non-partisan source of information on the issues related to economic, financial and social policies.

About Ilia State University (ISU)

Ilia State University is one of the leading research and educational institutions in Georgia. Ilia University represents a special connection between students and professors – a multifunctional educational and scientific institution where the joint work of professors, students, researchers and instructors creates a unified space for higher education and research.

How to Apply

Eligibility Criteria

LAD’s Program in Georgia will select up to 30 participants – 25 from Georgia and 5 from other developing countries where democracy is not firmly established.

• Applicants should be mid-career practitioners, with at least eight and ideally ten years or more of working experience, from public and private sectors or CSO sector;
• In their present capacity, applicants should play important and influential roles in their country’s political, economic, and social development. Applicants can be working as policy-makers, business sector leaders/entrepreneurs, and leaders of civil society organizations (such as representatives of trade unions, nongovernmental organizations, the media, business and professional associations);
• Applicants should have demonstrated professional and personal achievements in a relevant sector of democracy, development, the rule of law and economic development;
•   Applicants should have a solid command of written and spoken English. All finalists will be required to participate in a short phone interview;

Applicants must be at least 27 years of age when they apply for the program.

Funding

EPRC and CDDRL will pay travel, accommodation, living expenses and visa costs for the duration of the five-day program for selected applicants. When possible, applicants are encouraged to supply some or all of their own funding from their current employers or international nongovernmental organizations.

Dates for the LAD Program Georgia

The LAD program will take place in the first week of March, 2017 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Applicants are required to participate in the entire program. They must be sure that they can be absent from their professional obligations during that time and upon acceptance, must commit to attend the entire program.

Application Guidelines

Applicants are required to submit their application electronically at the following email address ladgeorgia@eprc.ge no later than January 16th, 2017 6:00 pm Tbilisi Time. The application should be submitted in Microsoft Word (version 2000 or later) or Adobe PDF format and contain the following two documents:

1. Completed Application Form
2. Curriculum Vitae/Resume which should be a minimum of one page and no longer than three pages in length and should list the following:

• Your professional experience, underlining your duties and responsibilities, with your most recent position listed first, and dates of employment;
• Your educational credentials, including all degrees earned;
• Awards and honors if applicable;
• The names of at least two professional referees, one of them should be your current supervisor in your place of employment. This should include the following information: The Name of the professional referee, professional affiliation with the applicant (i.e. supervisor, former colleague etc.), working place, working address, email and telephone.

3. Statement of Purpose which should be a minimum of 500 words and should not exceed 1,000 words. In drafting your statement of purpose, please expand on your professional experience, and respond to the following points:

• Why are you interested in applying to the Leadership Academy for Development Program? Please highlight how the program will contribute to your professional and/or personal development. For more information about LAD, please see http://cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/research/the_leadership_academy_for_development.
• Please describe your goals and expectations of the program. How will your participation at LAD contribute to your individual and professional growth?
•   Please describe your professional and academic achievements, as well as any community activity or public life accomplishments as they relate to the promotion of democracy, economic development, and or rule of law.

The applicants who are successful in the first round of application (after submitting CV and the Statement of Purpose) will be interviewed in a short (max. 15 minutes) phone interview.

Application Deadline

The deadline for submitting electronic applications is January 16th, 2017, 6:00 pm Tbilisi Time. However, we strongly encourage applicants to submit their applications as early as possible.

All applicants will be notified at the beginning of February, 2017 as to whether they were accepted to the program. Please do not follow-up with the program team before that time concerning the status of your application.

For more information about the LAD Program in Georgia or in case of any questions about the application, please email: ladgeorgia@eprc.ge.

LAD is a program of Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, and is generously supported by the Omidyar Network.

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