Francis J. Lethem, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy; Director, Duke Center for International Development and Co-Director, Duke-UNC Rotary Center for International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution  

Office Location: 266 Rubenstein Hall
Office Phone: (919) 613-9220
Email Address: francis.lethem@duke.edu

Areas of Expertise

  • International
    • Conflict Prevention and Peacekeeping
    • Development Management and Governance
    • Human Rights
    • International Development

Education:
PhD, Neuchatel University, Switzerland, 1967
BA, Antwerp University, Belgium, 1961

Research Categories: International Development and Institutional Development

Research Description: Institutional design; development project design; human resources development; project design for conflict prevention all in relation with developing countries

Teaching (Fall 2009):

  • Pubpol 383a.01, Institu des/ sust dev
    Sanford 102, MW 02:50 PM-04:05 PM
  • Pubpol 388.03, Special topics in idp
    Rubenstein 153, F 02:50 PM-04:50 PM

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

  1. F.J. Lethem. "Towards an appropriate institutional design methodology." (2006). Addition of one new paper to the series: Restructuring the Institutional Design of an Infrastructure Development Project in Guanajuato, Mexico, by Francisco Javier Luna Lopez (2006)
  2. F.J. Lethem. "Towards an appropriate institutional design methodology." (2002). Introduction to edited papers by PIDP Fellows prepared for the Duke University seminar "Institutional Design for more sustainable Development". www.Odi.com (Papers/Duke University International Development Program). The series, started in 2002, includes: Could Georgia's Small Farmer Support Project have been successful? by Nino Partskhaladze; Establishment of Agricultural Services in a Transition County, by Inna Bayda; Institutional Analysis of a Business Development Project, by Samir Nuryev; Commercial Banking for Rural Development: A Cautionary Tale, by Santhosh Thiruthimana; Resettling Expelled Villagers to their Place of Origin--20 Years Later, by Dalia Kaikhasraw
  3. F.J. Lethem. "Financing of Environmentally Sustainable Development in Rural Areas: the Case of Madagascar." Effective Financing of Environmentally Sustainable Development Proceedings of Third Annual World Bank Conference on ESD, Washington, DC. (September, 1996).
  4. F.J. Lethem. "Basic Education." Technology, Finance and Development, Charles Weiss and Nicolas Jequier. Lexington Books, 1984
  5. Francis Lethem and Lauren Cooper. "Managing Project-Related Technical Assistance." (1983). World Bank Staff Working Paper

Curriculum Vitae

Bio/Profile
Francis Lethem is Director of the Duke Center of International Development (DCID), Co-Director of the Duke-UNC Rotary program in Peace and Conflict Resolution, and a Professor of the Practice at the Sanford Institute of Public Policy. His primary interests are in the areas of institutional design in relation to sustainable development, the design and management of sustainable development projects, project design for conflict prevention, and human resources development including capacity building in developing and transition countries.

Before joining Duke in 1994, Lethem worked for about 30 years at the World Bank both in operations (human resources development and institutional development), as a policy adviser (regarding project generation and design including their social and capacity building aspects), and as adviser responsible for quality assurance of the Bank's Eastern Africa project portfolio. Over the years, his work experience has been primarily in Africa and Latin America, though he also worked in the Middle East and in East and South Asia.

Lethem earned his doctorate in economics from Neuchatel University (Switzerland) in 1967 and is the co-author of World Bank Staff Working Papers on organization design, the consideration of human factors in development work, and the management of technical assistance.

Francis J. Lethem