A Thriving World for All
Everyone is born with potential but many never realize theirs.
We can build societies where all people thrive.
Our Strategy
Housed at the Harvard Kennedy School, CID works across Harvard University and a global network of researchers and practitioners to build, convene, and deploy talent to address the world’s most pressing challenges. Through our faculty affiliates, programs, fellows, students, and staff, we invest in growing development thinkers and doers in three ways:
1. Build a Global Pool of Talent
We teach the current and next generation of leaders to think critically about development through degree programs, Executive Education, and experiential learning.
2. Convene Academic and Practitioner Networks
We bring together leaders and thinkers from academia, government, private sector, civil society, and philanthropy to discuss development paradigms through conferences, speaker series, and events.
3. Deploy Breakthrough Research
We catalyze research to generate and apply evidence-based solutions to development problems through academic and practitioner collaborations.
“It’s important to remind ourselves that the person we’re helping today could one day help us.â€
- Asim I. Khwaja, CID Faculty Director
We Believe
Incredibly talented people worldwide often never get to discover let alone achieve their full potential. Shocks outside of a person’s control play an outsized role in impacting their ability to achieve success. As a society we are worse for this. At the Harvard Center for International Development (CID), we are committed to move us beyond poverty to a world that delivers maximum value for all. We believe together we can design and implement policies that help everyone realize their full potential.
Moving From Charity to Investment
Enabling people to grow requires reimagining what it means to deliver international development. At CID, we see people not as objects of charity but as co-investors in the effort to achieve our collective potential. Whether investing in the capabilities of public institutions, civil society organizations, or private sector companies to help people thrive, CID’s researchers and programs partner in countries around the world to generate cutting-edge research and evidence to empower people to participate in policy, markets, and their communities.
Our Values - CID CARES
Always Collaborate: We play to our strengths and pitch in to help each other. We think critically and mindfully about our contributions to the group and prioritize collective success.  
Stay Accountable: We put in 100% effort and strive for high quality work that people can count on. We learn from our mistakes and move ahead with a growth mindset to further our mission.  
Show Respect: We demonstrate care through our words, tone, actions, and body language. We appreciate that we each come to the table with different perspectives, and we strive to communicate transparently and listen with intent.  
Use Evidence: We measure and analyze our impact to continuously improve the effectiveness of our work. We build on past successes and use data and evidence to inform decision-making.  
Work Sustainably: We are attuned to our team’s wellbeing, personal circumstances, and priorities outside of work. We prioritize healthy ways of working and self-care while recognizing the responsibility we have in advancing our mission.
Our Research
CID is Harvard University’s hub for cutting-edge research on the world’s most pressing international development issues. The Center brings researchers and practitioners together to collaborate, using the latest analytical tools to address pressing development challenges. Research at CID is conducted by our talented, diverse community of research programs, faculty affiliates, fellows, and students.