Working as a researcher, technical consultant, and practitioner, Picard was one of the first Peace Corps Volunteers to follow President Kennedy’s vision. Leaning on his expertise, he served as a consultant to entities like the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, and the U.S. Department of State. He’s worked in 50 countries, has written 12 books and more than 40 articles, speaks four languages, and has over 40 years of knowledge, experience, and a deeply-seeded passion as an Africanist.
- PhD Political Science, University of Wisconsin Madison
- BA in History and Political Science, University of Michigan
Education & Training
Recent Publications
- Sustainable, Development, and Human Security in Africa: Governance as the Missing Link, co-authored with Terry F. Buss, Taylor Seybolt and Macrina Lelei. New York: Taylor and Francis, May 2015.
- A Fragile Balance, Re-examining the History of Foreign Aid, Security and Diplomacy, co-authored with With Terry F. Buss. Sterling, VA: Kumarian Press, 2009.
- The State of the State: Institutional Transformation and Political Change in South Africa. Johannesburg, South Africa and Edison, NJ: Witwatersrand University Press and Transaction Publishers, 2005/2006.
Research Interests
- Eastern and Southern Africa policies
- Development management and local politics
- Human resource development and manpower planning
- Political constraints on rural development strategies
- Politics of rural development
- Transition in South Africa
