New Swiss Thinking and Working Politically Network
What is our story?
The story begins with a small group of people who work directly or indirectly for the Swiss development and economic cooperation. They had attended The Policy Practice and ODI training on Political Economy Analysis in Action and believe that considering power dimensions at every stage of the project cycle is essential for sustainability and impact.
These individuals worked hard to apply their lessons, skills, and knowledge—integrating political economy analysis (PEA) into project design, reviews, strategies. Yet, they all arrived at the same question: "What’s next? How can I move further along the learning curve?"
The answer was simple: come together. They decided to establish a Swiss Cooperation Community of Practice on Political Economy. This is not an introduction to PEA—this is for those who already have experience and want to exchange, reflect, and grow together.
What do we want to build together?
- A shared space for knowledge exchange: An open and safe environment where we discuss experiences, challenges, and lessons learned.
- A platform for growth and learning: A community where we deepen our understanding of PEA and support each other in refining our skills.
- A network for problem-solving: A space to tackle common challenges and develop practical solutions together.
- A collaborative effort to advance practice: Co-create, refine, and share tools and approaches that make PEA more impactful in our work.
How will it work?
- We thought about up to four gatherings per year, each lasting 1.5 hours depending on the dynamic
- Practical focus on real-life cases and shared challenges in PEA.
- Open-ended timeline— as long as it makes sense and there’s interest.
The first meeting?
It will be held online on Thursday 27 March from 1pm to 2:30pm. It will explore “How does political economy differ and complement other approaches?”.
This exchange will be the opportunity to discuss recent experiences from SDC in Burkina Faso, where PEA informed a conflict analysis, and Helvetas in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where PEA was applied taking three key entry-points: peacebuilding and conflict prevention, state-building (incl. fragile state and state capture), and gender equality and social inclusion. TPP Director Laure-Hélène Piron will share her insights on how PEA can be combined with other approaches.
If you would like to join this community of practice and attend our launch meeting, please contact Andreas Weber, SDC PEA lead.
Julie Smolnitchi, skat consulting
Laure-Hélène Piron, The Policy Practice
Craig Hatcher, Helvetas
Andreas Weber, SDC
Two decades of Thinking and Working Politically in Nigeria
This blog sets out how our team of Nigeria experts helps development partners navigate Nigeria's political economy, from shaping programme design to providing just-in-time analysis during implementation. Read about our work across governance, education, climate, agriculture and conflict, and why our grounded, advisory approach matters more than ever as development budgets tighten.
New guidance on stakeholder analysis and network mapping
In collaboration with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Thinking and Working Politically Community of Practice, TPP Director Laure-Hélène Piron and TPP Principal Wilfred Mwamba have prepared a guidance note on how to undertake a dynamic stakeholder analysis and political network mapping, both of which can be used to support international cooperation and development partnerships.
Why energy security starts in the kitchen
With global energy markets reeling from geopolitical chaos, Indonesia’s USD 4.7 billion liquid petroleum gas subsidy is no longer just a fiscal burden but a severe economic vulnerability. In this blog (which was published as an Op-Ed for Jakarta Post), TPP Director Neil McCulloch argues that the government must finally grasp the nettle of subsidy reform.