On a recent visit to LKY School of Public Policy, the Vice Dean of Executive Education Dr Francesco Mancini shared a copy of this 2026 book he edited. This collection of essays reflects on the 20 year anniversary of LKY SPP (which is #3 Policy School, according to QS). This is a large collection, of 54 chapters, that reflects on a wide range of topics relating to the future of public policy schools. Edited books are challenging to review, some notes that stood out:
“To bridge this gap, policy schools could design courses that include practical exercises like negotiating hypothetical public-private partnerships, analyzing the sustainability of infrastructure projects, or reviewing legal frameworks for financing agreements. For example, students could work through simulated scenarios where they are tasked with negotiating the terms of a loan for a major infrastructure project, evaluating loan terms, interest rates, repayment schedules, and hidden conditionalities while aligning these terms with their country’s development priorities and legal requirements. Real-world tools like financial modeling could provide hands-on experience in assessing risk and return. All of this teaching could be enabled by developing case studies of the problems encountered by LMICs in recent years, including those who participated in the BRI and later realized that lax due diligence is creating significant buyer’s remorse.” (p. 55)
“… it is not just about having our students take a few courses in International Relations. IR scholars, with their focus on foreign policy, are not equipped to drill deeply into the aspects of public policy making while public policy scholars would probably prefer to leave the messy “international” to IR scholars. This points to a potentially obvious solution: IR and public policy scholars need to join forces to craft public policy courses that factor in the role of the international in the new era of public policy making. It is not about having a segment of the course run by an IR colleague and a second segment by a public policy analyst. The key consists of a protracted conversation between the two colleagues in every class, examining and exploring how, if at all, the international intrudes on the politics of public policy making. This is easier said than done, but if successfully executed, will not only engage and excite our students but also “future-proof ” their public policy education against ignoring a non-trivial variable that will impinge increasingly on important swathes of public policy for decades to come.” (p. 67-68)
“It is a challenge to ‘teach’ systems thinking through a classroom lecture. The lessons are best brought across through case studies, simulations and role plays, having a practitioner share his/her personal experiences. There are also leadership programmes designed to bring various stakeholder groups together, so that they hear first hand one another’s perspectives, find common ground, agree to the larger outcomes to be achieved, and what each group can do to contribute to the solution.” (p. 241)
“A final important note concerns how policy labs also transform the role of faculty. In contrast to the traditional model of the instructor as a transmitter of knowledge, faculty in policy labs act more as curators of learning experiences. They become mentors, facilitators, and co-inquirers alongside students. This shift reflects a broader pedagogical transformation seen across professional education, where the emphasis is less on content delivery and more on designing environments that foster active and reflective learning. Research in higher education pedagogy has supported the idea that in complex fields, educators must shift from teaching “about” a subject to helping students “become” practitioners, integrating knowledge, skills, and ethical awareness. In this model, the faculty member serves as a designer of learning pathways, a guide through iterative exploration and peer learning, rather than a sole source of knowledge. The lab, then, becomes a collaborative “space,” where learning emerges from dialogue, experimentation, and shared problem-solving, precisely the skills that public policy practitioners require in the field.” (p. 253-254)
