OPENING APPLICATIONS TO SELECT PARTICIPANTS FOR THE
March 25-29, 2024
LEADERSHIP ACADEMY FOR DEVELOPMENT (LAD) PROGRAM
Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) and the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC), in partnership with Free University of Tbilisi are opening the application intake for the Leadership Academy for Development (LAD) – “The Role of Public Policy in Private Sector Development”, which will take place in Tbilisi, Georgia, between March 25-29, 2024. LAD Georgia shall be led by Professors Francis Fukuyama, Erik Jensen and Roger Leeds.
About the LAD Program
General Information
The Leadership Academy for Development (LAD) is an executive-level training program that trains high to 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 is a leadership program of Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL).
For more information about LAD, please see https://cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/lad
LAD Program in Georgia
The LAD Program in Georgia started in January 2016, the course for the sixth cohort will take place between March 25-29, 2024 and will be implemented jointly by CDDRL and the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) – a local think tank, based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The “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 Francis Fukuyama and Erik Jensen from Stanford University and Roger Leeds from Johns Hopkins SAIS.
LAD Training Program Overview
A driving principle of the LAD curriculum is that policy reform is not like engineering or other technical fields that envisage possession of discrete skills and availability of 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. Over the course of the past 22 years, EPRC has positioned itself as a civil society leader working on the issues of Georgia’s sustainable economic development through the lens of security and democracy dimention, good governance and euro-atlantic integration issues through ensuring equal participation of all key stakeholders.
About the Free University of Tbilisi
The University was founded by The Knowledge Fund (KF) in 2007, which is a non-profit, charity organization founded by Kakha Bendukidze. KF is the largest endowment in higher education in Georgia.
Free University is one of the leaders in tertiary education in Georgia. The university stands out with its high quality of education, modern learning environment and high employment level of graduates. At all three levels of tertiary education, Free University Programmes are based on the principles of liberal education, with the aim of developing creative and critical thinking, as well as practical skills of the students. Over the years, high quality of education at Free University has been manifested in high demand and in high employability of graduates – immediately after graduation, 94% of graduates are employed in their professional occupation.
How to Apply
Eligibility Criteria
LAD’s Program in Georgia will select up to 30 participants – from Georgia and from other countries where democracy is not firmly established.
Funding
Organizing partners shall award scholarships for the course, including speakers, teaching material and meals during the five-day program for all selected applicants. International applicants will have to pay for their own travel costs, while accommodation and other program related expenses shall be covered by the organizers.
Dates for the LAD Program Georgia
The LAD program will take place between March 25-29, 2024 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 through the following link: https://forms.gle/VaA9boEo1nqKFXec6
no later than February 26th, 2024 6:00 pm Tbilisi Time. The application should contain the following 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.), employer 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:
(a) 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 https://cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/lad
(b) Please describe your goals and expectations of the program. How will your participation in LAD contribute to your individual and professional growth?
(c) 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.
Application Deadline
The deadline for submitting electronic applications is February 26th, 2024 at 6:00 pm Tbilisi Time. However, we strongly encourage applicants to submit their applications as early, as possible.
All applicants will be notified by beginning of March, 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.
More information and/or questions
For more information about the LAD Program in Georgia, or in case of any questions about the application, please email: [email protected]
LAD is a program of Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law
