The Policy Practice produces a series of Policy Briefs and Working Paper to distil political economy insights from our research. You can find our other publications below.
Fossil fuel subsidy reform - Policy Brief 15
This policy brief from TPP Director Dr Neil McCulloch is based on his book “Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies – the politics of saving the planet”, published by Practical Action Publishing.
It summarises the problem with fossil fuel subsidies, how they inflict harm and what steps are being taken to reduce them. It also shows why subsidies persist and why existing efforts have been so ineffective. Drawing lessons from countries which have tried to remove fossil fuel subsidies, it explains that the fundamental challenge to reform is not technical, but political.
The World Bank discovers power in the power sector - Policy Brief 14
The World Bank’s 2019 report on Rethinking Power Sector Reform recognises that many of the key challenges in power sector reform result from the political economy of the sector.
Barnett and McCulloch state that the report is weak in four areas and make recommendation to the World Bank and other development partners on how these could be tackled.
FCDO governance programming in Nigeria: What difference has thinking and working politically made in practice? Working Paper 2
The UK’s engagements in Nigeria are a showcase for the gradual integration of a thinking and working politically (TWP) approach into development practice. This new Working Paper from the Policy Practice provides an overview of these nearly two decades of TWP mainstreaming - both successes and failures.
The political economy of pandemic prevention and preparedness in Africa - Policy Brief 13
This Policy Brief by Gareth Williams, Director at TPP looks at the political economy of pandemic prevention and preparedness in Africa.
Political Economy Analysis of the Business Environment in Eleven Middle-Income Countries - Policy Brief 12
Reforming the business environment needs to be understood not only as a technical challenge but, as importantly, as a challenge to the political economy. This Policy Brief, based on an analysis by The Policy Practice for the UK's cross-government Prosperity Fund, reviews experience in 11 middle income countries and identifies key issues, common themes and unanswered questions.
From dysfunctional to functional corruption: The politics of reform in Lebanon’s electricity sector
The SOAS-University of London Anti-Corruption Evidence Research Programme, together with The Policy Practice, has published a new report entitled: From dysfunctional to functional corruption: the politics of reform in Lebanon’s electricity sector. The study explores how it has been possible to establish Electricité de Zahlé’s functional, but problematic, electricity service provision within the complex sectarian political context of Lebanon.
Below includes other publications in which The Policy Practice have been involved with, including project reports.
The Learning Review explores (i) how APEAs have been used to inform program decisions and their implementation; (ii) how insights from APEAs have influenced program achievements; and (iii) what factors have enabled and constrained the uptake of APEA and its impacts in terms of improved programming. It concludes with lessons and considerations.
In April 2023, Alex Duncan revisited South Sudan for the first time in 40 years since working there for four years as an agricultural economist. This is a lecture he gave at Juba University on the work that was then started, the lessons learned and the implications for the present.
This policy brief from TPP Director Dr Neil McCulloch is based on his book “Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies – the politics of saving the planet”, published by Practical Action Publishing.
It summarises the problem with fossil fuel subsidies, how they inflict harm and what steps are being taken to reduce them. It also shows why subsidies persist and why existing efforts have been so ineffective. Drawing lessons from countries which have tried to remove fossil fuel subsidies, it explains that the fundamental challenge to reform is not technical, but political.
The Learning Review explores (i) how APEAs have been used to inform program decisions and their implementation; (ii) how insights from APEAs have influenced program achievements; and (iii) what factors have enabled and constrained the uptake of APEA and its impacts in terms of improved programming. It concludes with lessons and considerations.
In April 2023, Alex Duncan revisited South Sudan for the first time in 40 years since working there for four years as an agricultural economist. This is a lecture he gave at Juba University on the work that was then started, the lessons learned and the implications for the present.
This policy brief from TPP Director Dr Neil McCulloch is based on his book “Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies – the politics of saving the planet”, published by Practical Action Publishing.
It summarises the problem with fossil fuel subsidies, how they inflict harm and what steps are being taken to reduce them. It also shows why subsidies persist and why existing efforts have been so ineffective. Drawing lessons from countries which have tried to remove fossil fuel subsidies, it explains that the fundamental challenge to reform is not technical, but political.
TPP Director, Neil McCulloch, has just launched a book on “Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies – the politics of saving the planet”, published by Practical Action Publishing. The book explains what fossil fuel subsidies are, how they inflict harm and what steps are being taken to reduce them. It also shows why subsidies persist and why existing efforts have been so ineffective. Drawing lessons from countries which have tried to remove fossil fuel subsidies, it explains that the fundamental challenge to reform is not technical, but political. The book lays out a new agenda for action on fossil fuel subsidies, showing how a better understanding of the underlying political incentives can lead to more effective approaches to tackling this major global problem.
This brief discusses supporting integrated energy planning at the sub-national level in Kenya, and reflects on the planning and governance issues arising from devolution.
This second CCG paper produced by Mashekwa Maboshe (University of Zambia), Sam Bickersteth (TPP), and Stephanie Hirmer (CCG) looks at the contrasting context of centralised energy planning in Zambia but with the potential benefits for sub-national renewable investments.
TPP Director, Neil McCulloch supported work led by Marc Ayoub of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut to produce a documentary on the challenges facing solar power development in Lebanon, drawing lessons from Jordan and Yemen. The work was funded by the Natural Resource Governance Institute. The documentary, in Arabic with English sub-titles, was launched on 6 September 2022 and broadcast on Lebanese television. It can be viewed here. An accompanying Policy Brief was also produced which can be downloaded here.
This note summarises the main points arising from a discussion in the TWP community on health systems resilience, particularly in Cameroon, Nepal, and South Africa, and highlights important policy issues and recommendations.
Over the past two decades in Nigeria, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and its predecessor the Department for International Development (DFID) have encouraged close collaboration between their governance, health and education programmes. This is based on the recognition that governance reform is critical to sustainable improvements in service delivery.
This report assesses the extent of this collaboration, and where and when it has been effective. In this report, effectiveness is assessed in terms of whether the collaboration enabled the programmes to perform complementary and mutually supporting roles that support improvements in service delivery in a synergistic way that could not have been achieved by programmes acting on their own.