Duke Center for International Development

What Duke Center for International Development does

Duke Center for International Development (DCID) is an academic research and education center within Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, founded in 1985 as the Center for International Development Research and renamed in 2001 after members of Harvard University's Public Finance Group joined the faculty. DCID operates three core functions: (i) graduate education through the residential Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) program for mid-career professionals; (ii) executive education through fee-based programs such as Tax Policy for Practitioners (TPP, $11,000) and Project Appraisal and Risk Management (PARM, $11,500); and (iii) applied policy research and convening, including the Southeast Asia Research Group (SEAREG), the Climate Dialogue & Innovation Initiative, and the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center. The center's research spans economic governance, climate and sustainability, global value chains, and human development, employing RCTs, field experiments, surveys, and longitudinal studies to generate evidence-based policy recommendations for governments and international organizations.

DCID's business model combines tuition-driven education with grant-funded research and advisory services. Revenue comes from MIDP tuition (undisclosed), executive education fees, and grants/contracts from foundations (Henry Luce Foundation, Kapnick Foundation, HPS Investment Partners), bilateral donors (USAID), and international partners (Rotary International). Go-to-market is event-driven and sales-led, reaching customers through academic conferences (SEAREG, EGAP), executive education enrollment, and direct engagement with policymakers; the MIDP recruits mid-career professionals through formal admissions while custom training programs are delivered on-campus at Duke's Durham campus, at Duke's Washington D.C. office, or virtually for institutional clients. With 17 employees and an alumni network of 6,000+ across 200+ countries, DCID functions as a small, high-credibility node within the global development policy ecosystem, leveraging the Duke brand and a deep faculty bench (distinguished professors, World Bank and U.S. Treasury alumni) as its primary commercial assets.

Name

Duke Center for International Development

Legal name

Duke Center for International Development

Website

https://dcid.sanford.duke.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Duke Center for International Development (DCID) is an academic research center within Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy that delivers the MIDP graduate degree, executive education in tax policy and project appraisal, and applied policy research for governments, multilaterals, and foundations across 200+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Graduate Education: The Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) program generates revenue through tuition from mid-career residential students.
2. Executive Education: Fee-based executive education programs including Tax Policy for Practitioners (TPP) and Project Appraisal and Risk Management (PARM) with tuition of $11,000-$11,500 per participant.
3. Research Grants and Contracts: Funding from foundations (Henry Luce Foundation, Kapnick Foundation), governments (USAID), and international organizations to support specific research projects and initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Duke Center for International Development (DCID) is an academic research and education center within Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy that conducts international development policy research and delivers educational programs. It offers a mid-career Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) degree, executive education programs (Tax Policy for Practitioners, Project Appraisal and Risk Management), research networks (SEAREG), and customized training for government ministries, development banks, and multilateral institutions.

Product overview

Duke Center for International Development (DCID) is an academic research and education center within Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. DCID offers a portfolio of educational programs (degree programs, executive education certificates) and research initiatives focused on international development policy. Key offerings include the Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) degree, executive education programs like Tax Policy for Practitioners (TPP) and Project Appraisal and Risk Management (PARM), research networks such as SEAREG, and the Climate Dialogue & Innovation Initiative. The center also runs the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center fellowship and provides custom training for governments and institutions worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) A mid-career, residential master's degree program at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy focused on international development policy, targeting mid-career professionals.
• Tax Policy for Practitioners (TPP) Four-week executive education program training participants on economic foundations of tax policy, tax incentives, international taxation, and statistical and revenue forecasting techniques, with three specialized tracks: Revenue Forecasting, Tax Incentives/Tax Expenditures, and International Taxation. Designed for government officials and development practitioners.
• Project Appraisal and Risk Management (PARM) Four-week executive education program covering financial, economic, stakeholder, and risk analysis and management through real and applied case studies, designed for professionals who design, appraise, select, negotiate, or finance projects.
• Southeast Asia Research Group (SEAREG) Multi-campus initiative founded in 2013 to showcase and advance research by emerging social scientists working on Southeast Asia, including annual conferences, fellowship programs, professionalization workshops, and networking opportunities for scholars in political science and allied disciplines.
• Climate Dialogue & Innovation Initiative: Southeast Asia and the World Two-year initiative to study and share climate solutions in Southeast Asia, including research on climate innovations and startups, data visualization and knowledge-sharing products, innovation awards, and a conference in Singapore.
• Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center Joint program with Rotary International and UNC Chapel Hill offering Rotary Peace Fellows a rigorous program of study and applied field experiences in peace and conflict resolution.
• Custom Training Programs Tailored training programs delivered for individual government ministries, development banks, and multilateral institutions in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, delivered virtually or at Duke's Washington D.C. office.

Quantifiable outcome

• Short-term cash for work effects largely attenuate to zero five years post-treatment, with positive effect on assets persisting
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and secondary.

• Rotary International and UNC Chapel HillflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Joint hosting of Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center, one of seven Rotary Peace Center Partner Universities globally. Offers Rotary Peace Fellows program combining MIDP studies at Duke with master's programs at UNC-Chapel Hill.
• RTI InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with USAID to support University Capacity Development and Research Technical Assistance Support Project (SMCS) in Laos, helping public universities improve education quality.
• Mahidol UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted SEAREG 2025 Summer Conference in Bangkok, showcasing Southeast Asia scholarship.
• UC San Diego School of Global Policy and StrategysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted SEAREG 2025 Winter Conference, attended by approximately 65 participants.
• Boston University Center for the Study of AsiasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted SEAREG 2024 North American Conference with 60+ participants.
• Research institutions in SingaporecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCID implementing Climate Initiative in collaboration with research institutions in Singapore to showcase climate solutions and host the initiative's conference.
• Charles University (Czech Republic)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for Lisa Moreau's Fulbright U.S. Scholar appointment in 2026-27, teaching Project Management for NGOs and leading Systems Thinking workshops.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tufts University — Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy: The Fletcher School is a graduate-only professional school in international affairs that competes for the same development-policy and mid-career professional segments as DCID. Both offer applied development training with strong practitioner orientation.
• Georgetown University — Walsh School of Foreign Service: Georgetown SFS offers master's degrees in international development and policy that compete with MIDP, and the school hosts research centers and executive programming targeting development practitioners and government officials.
• Johns Hopkins University — School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS): SAIS is a leading graduate school for international affairs with strong development economics and policy concentrations. It competes with DCID's MIDP for mid-career professionals and runs comparable executive programs for government officials.
• Columbia University — School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA): SIPA offers graduate degrees and executive education in international development, economic policy, and public finance that compete directly with DCID's MIDP and TPP programs. Both target mid-career professionals seeking policy credentials from top-tier U.S. universities.
• George Washington University — Elliott School of International Affairs: The Elliott School offers graduate programs in international development and policy with a strong Washington D.C. policy-practitioner network, directly comparable to DCID's policy-shop positioning and its D.C. delivery channel for custom executive programs.
• ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute: ISEAS is a Singapore-based research institute specializing in Southeast Asia policy and scholarship, directly overlapping with DCID's SEAREG network and the new Climate Dialogue & Innovation Initiative in Singapore. Both convene Southeast Asia scholars and produce region-focused policy research.
• Harvard Kennedy School — Center for International Development: Harvard's CID is the closest peer: a university-based center focused on international development policy research and executive education, with overlapping faculty lineages (DCID absorbed Harvard Public Finance Group members in 2001). Both compete for the same government-official and mid-career professional cohorts in development economics and policy training.
• Princeton School of Public and International Affairs: Princeton SPIA offers MPA and development-focused graduate programs that overlap with DCID's MIDP, and the school engages in rigorous international development research with field methods comparable to DCID's randomized-controlled-trial approach.

Others

• World Bank — Development Research Group & Global Tax Program: The World Bank conducts development research and offers policy training for government officials that overlaps with DCID's tax-policy and project-appraisal executive education. DCID faculty like Sebastian James previously served as Senior Economist at the Bank, illustrating the close institutional linkage and overlapping client base.

Broad incumbents

• Brookings Institution: Brookings is a major D.C.-based think tank with substantial international development and Southeast Asia research (where DCID Climate lead Stromseth previously held the Lee Kuan Yew Chair). Brookings competes for foundation funding, faculty talent, and policy influence on the same development topics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SEAREG_
• Facebookfacebook.com/SEAREG.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dukedcid

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Duke Center for International Development