From dysfunctional to functional corruption: The politics of reform in Lebanon’s electricity sector
In Lebanon, the electricity sector’s dysfunction and inefficiency mask deeper political economy challenges, including rampant rent-seeking, captured institutions and a fractured state. Over decades, corruption and mismanagement in Lebanon’s electricity sector has contributed to the draining of public finances and has deprived the Lebanese people of their right to reliable and affordable electricity.
Amidst the poor general state of the sector, one area of Lebanon has managed to operate a private utility that provides a reliable and high-quality electricity service – Électricité de Zahlé (EDZ). Our study explores how it has been possible to establish EDZ’s functional, but problematic, service provision within the complex sectarian political context of Lebanon. We draw existing development and political economy literature to understand the rents and types of corruption in the sector and how the changes implemented by EDZ have been consistent with the nature of Lebanon’s political settlement.
LEAP webinar series on lessons from 20 years of UK governance programming in Nigeria
Since 2019, LEAP, led by ODI, has undertaken research on Partnership to Engage, Research and Learn (PERL) and predecessor UK Government-funded programmes to strengthen the evidence base for governance reform in Nigeria. As part of end of programme activities, ODI in association with TPP are organising a series of public events to share lessons from 20 years of UK governance programmes in Nigeria including a webinar series detailed below;
- 5th October - How does governance reform happen? Lessons from Nigeria
- 12th October - Working politically in practice: lessons from Nigeria
- 19th October - Does better governance lead to improved health and education? Lessons from Nigeria
To register for the webinars please visit the event pages .
Latest Political Economy Analysis in Action online training course launched
We have kicked off our latest Political Economy Analysis in Action online training course which is running from 6 September – 17 December in partnership with ODI.
This course will equip participants with the tools and the confidence to undertake a PEA, and to apply it to policy and programmes in a wide range of contexts. It will cover ten sessions over a 15-week period, requiring about 4 hours of study per week (with a mix of self-study, online Study Group discussions and tasks and webinars, supported by an inter-active platform).
If you are interested in finding out about future courses, please contact us on training@thepolicypractice.com.
A New Approach to Energy Governance in Development Webinar - now available
For decades the development community has recognized the problem of poor energy governance, but approaches to improving it have been primarily technocratic. Recent work shows the importance of understanding the political economy of the energy sector when designing interventions and adapting our approach to managing energy sector projects. To tackle the climate crisis and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we need new approaches for improving access to modern, affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy.
In tandem with the release of a white paper and technical brief on this topic, we undertook a webinar on 24th June where leading practitioners explored hurdles to energy reform and put forward a new approach to the design and management of energy sector reform programs.