“Rethinking Reform: Innovations in Improving Governance”

March 3rd, Cubberley Auditorum (Stanford University), 9am-4pm

The conference, hosted by The Stanford Association for International Development (SAID) with support from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), will explore innovative methods of building capable, responsive, and accountable states. We hope toexamine the broader issue of governance across several thematic categories: transparency and accountability, technology and governance, leadership and public sector capacity, and bottom-up interventions to promote responsiveness and improve service delivery. Rather than rehashing old debates, the conference will focus on new methods that are achieving real traction across the globe. This varies from large multilateral initiatives to small-scale randomized control trials on service delivery, participatory budgeting, civil society activism, and liberation technology. The conference will leverage Stanford’s unique position at the crossroads of Silicon Valley innovation and institutional expertise. Participants from a wide range of sectors – academics, policymakers, development professionals, and social entrepreneurs – will convene in four panel discussions to provide perspectives on how to shape a forward-looking governance agenda for the future.