The JJ/WBGSP supports 11 Partnership Programs with universities around the world. These programs enable scholars to receive specialized training in key areas of development, such as economic policy management or infrastructure management. The Programs seek promising candidates from the public sector in developing countries, such as central banks and ministries of finance and planning. All Partnership Programs lead to a master's degree. The Programs are described below:

• The first program, the Program in Economic Policy Management (PEPM), was launched at Columbia University in New York City, USA, in 1992.

• Two more Economic Policy Management Programs, launched in 1994, were jointly sponsored by JJ/WBGSP and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), one, at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, concentrated on Anglophone Africa, while the other, at the Universite d'Auvergne, Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches sur Le Developpement International (CERDI), in Clermont-Ferrand, France, targeted Francophone Africa. These Programs were transferred to the following African universities in 1998; University of Ghana in Legon, Ghana, Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Cocody in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Yaounde II University in Cameroon.

Five programs are located in Japan. All are taught in English. Two were launched in 1995:

• A Program in Policy Management at the University of Tsukuba, and
• A Program in Infrastructure Management at Yokohama National University.

Two began in 1996:

• A Program in Tax Policy and Management at Keio University; and
• A Program in Public Policy and Taxation at Yokohama National University.

The latest began in 1997:

• A Program in Taxation Policy and Administration at Saitama University.  This was replaced by a new program on Public Finance at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS).

In addition:

• Four Programs in Economic Policy Management started in Africa in four universities in 1998.
• A master's degree Program in Public Administration in International Development at Harvard University since 1999.

Duration

All the Partnership Programs with Japanese universities now in operation extend for 24 months; the Columbia University Program's duration is 15 months. The duration of Programs at the University of Ghana, Makerere University, the University of Abidjan, and the Universite of Yaounde II varies from 15 to 18 months. Some of the Programs include a concurrent internship period of three to four months as part of the degree requirement.

Application process

Requests for application materials and completed applications for all Partnership Programs should be directed to the respective university.

• Columbia, Harvard, Keio Universities and GRIPS accept new students each year;
• The University of Tsukuba and Yokohama National University admit students every other year; and
• The four Partnership Programs in Africa admit students every year.

The number of scholars admitted in each intake varies from about 15 at Columbia and Harvard to 5 at Keio and GRIPS. The number of applications for each cohort ranges from about 150 to more than 400 in the eleven Programs.

The funding for the Partnership Programs comes from the same source as the funding for the Regular Program: the Government of Japan. Therefore, the addition of new Partnership Programs affects the size and scope of the JJ/WBGSP Regular Program. The Secretariat is very pleased that the Government of Japan continues to make it possible for the Regular Program and Partnership Programs to grow simultaneously.