Jorrit de Jong

MaRS Solutions Lab Advisory Board; Lecturer Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Jorrit de Jong is Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS).  He is also Academic Director of the Innovations in Government Program at the Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. His research and teaching focus on the challenges of making the public sector more responsive and more resilient through innovation.

A specialist in experiential learning, Jorrit has taught strategic management and public problem solving in degree and executive education programs at HKS and around the world. Before coming to Harvard, Jorrit co-founded the Kafka Brigade, a not-for-profit organization in Europe that helps governments diagnose and remedy bureaucratic dysfunction. He was also founding co-director of a consulting firm for the public sector in Amsterdam, and director of the Center for Government Studies at Leiden University.

Dr. de Jong holds a PhD in Public Policy and Management (VU Amsterdam), a Master in Philosophy (Leiden) and a Master in Public Administration (Leiden). He has written extensively, including the books The State of Access:Success and Failure of Democracies to Create Equal Opportunities (Brookings 2008, co-edited); Agents of Change: Strategy and Tactics for Social Innovation (Brookings 2012, co-authored); and Dealing with Dysfunction:Innovative Problem Solving in the Public Sector (Brookings, forthcoming).