Global Development Policy Center – Strategic Plan, 2023-2028

The Boston University Global Development Policy Center’s (GDP Center) mission is to advance policy-oriented research for financial stability, human well-being and environmental sustainability. The GDP Center is a University-wide research center in partnership with the Frederick S. Pardee School for Global Studies and the Office of Research at Boston University. The ambition of the GDP Center is to be recognized for its intellectual leadership and global engagement.

The GDP Center’s first strategic plan outlined the integrative mission and its bold ambition as well as five strategic pillars: to foster a broad global development policy community of faculty, students and staff at BU; to advance interdisciplinary, scholarly knowledge by BU faculty and researchers; to engage in global policy dialogue and strategic communications; to provide experiential learning experiences for Boston University students and to build a global support base for success. In many ways, the GDP Center surpassed these goals in its first five years, helping amplify BU’s reputation as a leader in development studies and expanding that recognition into the policy realm.

The Strategic Plan, 2023-2028 builds on the success of the GDP Center in its first five years and will institutionalize that knowledge for generations to come. To that end, it puts forward five updated strategic pillars: foster a global development community at BU, advance scholarly ‘research that matters’ on global development policy, engage in global policy dialogue and strategic communications, provide a ‘vibrant academic experience’ through student research and experiential learning and solidify the legacy of the GDP Center.

Moving forward, the GDP Center will further align with the overarching BU 2030 Strategic Plan while institutionalizing the ingredients of the Center’s early success and maintaining a spirit of innovation. The GDP Center strives to not only be a University-based think tank, but also a do tank.