Charter Cities: A Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model w/ Kurtis Lockhart - EP147

Economics Explored

Kurtis Lockhart, Executive Director of the Charter Cities Institute, tells us about the benefits of charter cities - cities with their own rules or charter, independent of national or subnational governments. Kurtis argues the best way to implement charter cities is via public-private partnerships (PPPs). Learn about the fascinating work the Charter Cities Institute is involved in around the world with a view to stimulating economic development and lifting millions out of poverty.

About this episode’s guest - Kurtis Lockhart

Kurtis Lockhart is Executive Director & Head of Research at the Charter Cities Institute. Kurtis is also a PhD candidate in political science at the University of Oxford. His research examines the effect of institutional reforms on public goods provision with a regional focus on sub-Saharan Africa. At Oxford he has taught both quantitative methods and African politics.

In the field, Kurtis has previously worked as a Research Manager for the International Growth Centre (IGC), for Warc Africa (both in Sierra Leone), and for the ELIMU Impact Evaluation Center in Kenya where he managed the implementation of several randomized control trials across many different sectors (health insurance, rural electrification, tax administration, and legal aid). Kurtis has also completed consulting projects with both Oxford Development Consultancy and with Warc Africa. He holds an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics where he graduated top of his class, as well as a BA in Economics and Development Studies (First Class Honors) from McGill University.

Find him on Twitter @kurtislockhart.

Links relevant to the conversation

The Charter Cities Institute

Podcast Archives - The Future of Development (Charter Cities Institute podcast)

Paul Romer: Why the world needs charter cities

The Charter Cities Institute on Twitter: @CCIdotCity

Credits

Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode and to the show’s sponsor, Gene’s consultancy business www.adepteconomics.com.au.

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