Pagett said his main concern about the recommendation is how the plan to distribute HIID functions would actually be carried out.
"The task force was charged with making a recommendation, not developing an implementation plan," Pagett said.
The challenge, he added, is to integrate administrative support for a consulting operation into "a more traditional academic structure."
"To do development advisory work requires a different administrative structure," he added.
In a statement released yesterday, Fineberg thanked the task force and promised that HIID's functions would be preserved even if the institute was lost.
"Harvard remains committed to the field of international development studies and its integration into the University's academic mission," he said.