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Public Policy Summer Training Courses 2008
 

The International Studies Program at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University is pleased to present its Public Policy Summer Training Courses for 2008. The courses are designed for government officials and policy makers involved in policy reform and fiscal management in developing and transition countries, as well as their counterparts with international development agencies. This year's program consists of courses on five policy reform topics:

While the courses cover related topics, they are taught independently from each other. Participants may choose to enroll in either one or more courses. Training will take place on the campus of Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. The application deadline is 30 days prior to the beginning of each course.

Training Instructors
The Andrew Young School's graduate program in public budgeting and finance is ranked in the top-five among graduate programs in the United States by US News & World Report. Our training courses are facilitated and taught by senior Andrew Young School faculty members that -in addition to their solid academic credentials- have extensive experience in real-world policy reform and technical assistance around the world. Course instructors include Professor James Alm, Professor Roy Bahl, Dr. Eunice Heredia, Professor Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, Professor Mark Rider, Professor Felix Rioja, Professor Neven Valev, Professor Sally Wallace, Professor Katherine Willoughby and Dr. Guevera Yao.

Participant Background
Participants need no previous experience in economics, budgeting or public administration, although the program is designed to be most useful for central, regional and local government officials, policy makers and program managers from developing and transitional countries. Participants do not need any previous experience with computers. Although all courses are taught in English, simultaneous interpretation can be arranged for groups of non-English speaking participants.

In previous years, our training programs have attracted participants from countries around the world, including officials from Albania, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Guinea, Jamaica, Kenya, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Serbia and Montenegro, South Africa, St. Lucia, Tanzania, Thailand, Turks and Caicos, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zambia. Previous participants further included officials from USAID, DFID (United Kingdom), the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and the World Bank.

Tuition and Funding
Tuition for the three-week fiscal decentralization course is $7,650, tuition fee for the macroeconomics and education policy courses are $5,000 per course, and tuition for the tax policy and the public budgeting courses are $5,500 per course. The tuition fee includes all training-related costs, including instruction, course materials, single-occupancy lodging accommodations, local transportation and cultural activities. However, the course tuition does not include airfare to/from Atlanta, health insurance, meals, or other incidental expenses. The estimated cost for meals and incidental expenses for Atlanta is $49 per day.

Participants are typically funded by their government (e.g., Ministry of Finance) or through bilateral or multilateral development agencies. The participant is responsible for securing a commitment for funding before submitting the application. Examples of multilateral development agencies are the United Nations Development Program, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Inter-American Development Bank. Following this link for additional information regarding funding opportunities.

Visa Applications
Note that due to the length of time needed for the U.S. Government to process visas, it is highly recommended that you submit your training program application as soon as possible. Once your training program application is received, Georgia State University will be able to provide supporting documentation for the visa application process.

To submit your application, or for additional information regarding the application process, please contact:
 
Mr. Hiram Seraphin
Email: hseraphin@gsu.edu
Phone: (404) 413-0233
Fax: (404) 413-0244