The Impact of International Engagement: Leveraging Comparative Research and Global Partnerships

The Impact of International Engagement: Leveraging Comparative Research and Global Partnerships

Erika Poethig, Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research Here at HUD, we’re committed to creating strong, inclusive communities and quality affordable housing by identifying, developing, and implementing cutting-edge, evidence-driven policies. Although we frequently draw on the groundbreaking work of many states, localities, and private and nonprofit organizations, we recognize that we also have much to learn from our global colleagues. It’s for that reason that the Office of Policy Development and Research’s (PD&R’s) Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation (IPI) is charged with linking domestic policy and practice to innovative and timely models from international partners by pursuing comparative research and strategic global relationships.

International conferences offer a productive platform for PD&R to build these international relationships and gather information about global best practices that can help HUD achieve its mission. Last month, PD&R played a prominent role at the sixth World Urban Forum in Naples, Italy. Todd Richardson, PD&R's Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development, served as deputy head of the U.S. delegation, and PD&R staff organized and participated in panels, briefings, bilateral meetings, and sessions about pressing urban issues. (See this week’s feature article in Edge, "Naples the Site of World Urban Forum 6.") Similarly, earlier this year, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan cohosted the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development's Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers in my hometown of Chicago with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. There, national leaders, mayors, regional officials, and public and private organizations brainstormed how to position cities as global leaders on climate change and drive economic growth through financing and investment in urban sustainability.

We are optimistic about the policy lessons HUD will be able to leverage from these engagements. Valuable lessons gleaned from other countries’ experiences figure in catalytic initiatives from both the administration and HUD. For example, Strong Cities, Strong Communities drew on HUD’s exchange with leaders in Leipzig, Germany, and Manchester, England, about strategies to build resilience in the face of population decline, job loss, and high rates of vacant housing. We are also studying the policy implications of Social Impact Bonds, a recent British financial innovation, for building retrofits, homelessness, and healthy homes. Equally important, however, are the partnerships that have evolved over the years, such as HUD’s partnership with the Brazilian government. Following the 2009 World Urban Forum in Rio, HUD and Brazil’s Ministry of Cities explored new ways to empower housing and community development innovators. Our two agencies collaborated on the global competition Sustainable Urban Housing: Collaborating for Liveable and Inclusive Cities, which prompted HUD to launch its own crowdsourcing platform, Innovation of the Day. HUD’s deep collaboration with the German government inspired the launch of the first Secretary’s Award for Community Foundations. The award honors public-private partnerships that redefine the relationship between sectors and significantly improve their communities while building the capacity of successful foundations to provide housing and community development leadership.

Our international partners have also benefited from HUD’s good work. For instance, IPI recently welcomed the Australian Secretary for Transportation and Infrastructure, Mike Mrdak, who exchanged ideas with Secretary Donovan about how to build more sustainable and livable communities. Secretary Mrdak was particularly impressed with HUD’s engagement with local governments through place-based initiatives as well as the United States’ success at leveraging private investment through tax credit programs, which could inform Australia’s sustainable development work. Countries as diverse as Denmark and China have sought out HUD’s expertise on mortgage finance policies, strategies, and risk management. Dr. Felixberto Bustos, president of the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation in the Philippines, visited HUD and Ginnie Mae in June to discuss risk management after the financial crisis. Bustos shared the progress made in the Philippines’ emerging mortgage market thanks to strategies identified from Ginnie Mae’s experience.

Many exciting things are on the horizon, including a HUD and U.S. Department of State Inter-Agency Agreement focusing on sustainable development within the Western Hemisphere, which will work in conjunction with the administration’s Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas. Under this agreement, the agencies will work with Brazil’s Ministry of Cities to research partnership strategies for sustainable housing and inclusive communities. During the next 2 years, IPI plans to conduct comparative international research with leading academic institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University on various topics, including sustainability indicators, energy retrofits, distressed cities, community development finance, and manufactured housing. As these initiatives get underway, I encourage you to follow us through IPI’s website and learn more about how HUD’s international partnerships allow us to harness global innovations.