Training Programs
Our customized trainings help practitioners and policymakers build the policy knowledge and skills needed to design, implement and evaluate effective policies and engage diverse stakeholders throughout the policy process. We offer both in-person and online services, including mini-courses on select topics, multi-day workshops and other contract-based activities. Our team works closely with each client to develop a tailored program that meets their unique capacity-building needs and goals. We hope our clients will walk away with an expanded toolbox and a set of next steps to move their policy work forward.
Policy Design and Implementation in a Global Environment Workshop
In 2023, CPDG Director Saba Siddiki led a workshop covering a range of policy design areas, including goalsetting, stakeholder engagement, formulation, implementation and assessment. She presented numerous case studies to explore how different policymaking processes and political environments shaped policy design across the globe. Participants walked away with new concepts and practical skills needed to design policies in their respective nations.
Policy Design Summer Studio
In August 2025, CPDG and the Maxwell X Lab hosted the Policy Design Summer Studio, an online weekend workshop exploring how to incorporate behavioral science, artificial intelligence and collaboration into public policy design. Leonard Lopoo (Maxwell X Lab director), Saba Siddiki (CPDG director) and Tomás Olivier (CPDG assistant director) served as instructors. The interactive sessions covered:
- Policy design in challenging, uncertain times
- Behavioral science for policymaking
- Collaborative policy design
- AI for policy development
Technical Analysis
Through technical analysis, we help governments and non-governmental organizations evaluate whether policies are effectively designed and carried out, as well as whether the stakeholder engagement processes they are using are effectively designed and run. Analyses are conducted on a contractual basis. We offer a range of analytical capabilities, from topic-specific case studies and literature reviews to extensive evaluation reports. We work closely with clients to identify project priorities, scope, and deliverables.
City of Syracuse Procurement Transformation Project
In 2023, the Policy Design Studio partnered with the City of Syracuse’s Office of Analytics, Performance and Innovation to evaluate the design and implementation of the Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Participation Program. Our final report offered recommendations for recruiting and retaining MWBE vendors for city projects.
Siddiki Leads Workshop During Maxwell Online Executive Master of Public Administration Program’s Campus Immersion Weekend
Saba Siddiki, director of the Center for Policy Design and Governance, along with Scott Emery of M.S. Hall & Associates, led a policy design workshop during the Maxwell Online Executive Master of Public Administration (E.M.P.A.) program’s campus immersion weekend, which took place from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, 2022. The workshop was divided into two sessions. Session I, “Designing Informed Policies,” covered topics such as goal setting, stakeholder engagement in policy formulation, and policy drafting. Session II, “Policy Implementation,” focused on implementation design, assessment and learning.
Policy Design and Implementation in a Global Environment
In 2023, CPDG Director Saba Siddiki led a workshop covering a range of policy design areas, including goalsetting, stakeholder engagement, formulation, implementation, and assessment. She presented numerous case studies to explore how different policymaking processes and political environments shaped policy design across the globe. Participants walked away with new concepts and practical skills needed to design policies in their respective nations.
City of Syracuse Procurement Transformation Project
In the summer of 2023, the Center for Policy Design and Governance partnered with the City of Syracuse's Office of Analytics, Performance and Innovation on a project that evaluated the design and implementation of the City's Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Participation Program. The center produced a report that offered a set of recommendations for recruiting and retaining MWBE vendors for City projects.
