New guidance on context analysis
This note is for use alongside the FCDO guide to political economy analysis (PEA) and thinking and working politically and is part of a series of technical notes on the use of PEA in practice. It explains the range of frameworks for context analysis which can be used in international co-operation, and how to select the most appropriate one, and the different ways in which analysis can be undertaken.
This guide highlights the importance of incorporating a politically informed perspective, regardless of the specific framework used, to understand ‘why things are the way they are’ and to make operationally relevant recommendations.
The note reviews the following analytical frameworks, outlining their objectives, distinctive features, applications, limitations and how to integrate political economy insights:
- political economy analysis
- conflict analysis
- gender equality, disability and social inclusion analysis
- governance assessment
- institutional review
This is a joint guide from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Thinking and Working Politically Community of Practice (TWP CoP). The TWP CoP is a global network of practitioners and researchers in development committed to helping practitioners understand how change happens and why. The TWP CoP Secretariat has been hosted by the University of Birmingham with support from FCDO.
Can we still achieve peace?
On the day US troops formally withdrew from Iraq, TPP Principal Niki Palmer asks if we can still achieve peace and suggests how to improve peacebuilding interventions.
Podcast: Subsidies and Social Protection - Reforms for a Sustainable Transition
Why are subsidies so difficult to reform, even when more effective alternatives exist? In this podcast by Socialprotection.org, TPP Director Neil McCulloch examines the political, institutional and economic challenges that have made subsidy reform one of the most complex issues in social policy.
Governing climate action? Governance, political economy and systems change in country platforms
Climate Country Platforms promise to bring finance and policy together around national climate goals. But in this paper, Brendan Halloran argues they'll only deliver if they confront the political economy, power and governance barriers that keep holding climate action back — and he sets out how, with practical steps for governments, banks and funders.