David Lewis

David Lewis has been actively engaged in planning and policy research in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. He has been working on social, economic, and political issues associated with environmental resource management in the Lake Victoria region of East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda). Most recently he has participated in training for officials from Kazakhstan aimed at improved governance. Lewis is particularly interested in the application of system dynamics simulation modeling techniques to large-scale policy and planning challenges.

Lewis received his B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University in 1962 and 1966, and his Ph.D. from Cornell in 1973.

Classes (Selected)

• CRP 5076 Workshop Project Planning in Developing CountriesThe workshop exposes students to the complexity as well as the nuances of planning with poor communities in the Global South. It places a strong emphasis on an engaged model of learning, research and planning practice. An important part of the workshop is building effective working relationships across cultures, disciplinary perspectives and professional orientations. The workshop emphasizes the use of diverse sources of data and information, and effective communication of deliverables. Because the workshop responds to the needs of international collaborators and stakeholders, the substantive focus of the workshop and the deliverables changes from one year to the next. In recent years the workshop has focused on issues related to poverty, water, shelter and participatory planning.
• CRP 6210 Quantitative Techniques for Policy Analysis and Program ManagementThis course introduces students to the principles of quantitative policy analysis. We consider core modeling tools used by planners and policy analysts to identify optimal choices in the face of interdependent alternatives, limited resources, and uncertainties. The models to be discussed are of the analytical, quantitative category, including decision trees, difference equations, linear programming, and benefit-cost analysis. Effectiveness in structuring complex problems and in reducing the complexity of a problem is the unifying theme in this wide array of tools. The course emphasizes the application to planning and public policy decision making. To that end, the lectures balance theoretical concepts, real-world applications, and computer simulations.