The Policy Practice conducted a Political Economy Analysis to support the Embassy of Ireland in Ethiopia in developing its next Mission Strategy. The study provided a broad, evidence-based assessment of Ethiopia’s governance, socio-economic, conflict, and diplomatic contexts, with attention to regional linkages across the Horn of Africa.

The Policy Practice (TPP) is conducting a Political Economy Analysis (PEA) of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP). The study will support donors in designing a politically realistic and technically effective sixth phase of the programme.

PSNP is one of Africa’s largest social protection initiatives, addressing chronic and acute food insecurity. As Ethiopia faces the legacies of conflict, evolving political settlements, and significant financing pressures, the PEA will examine how these dynamics shape the programme’s sustainability and impact.

TPP Director Laure-Hélène Piron and TPP Assocate Nisar Majid are facilitating a political economy analysis (PEA) process for the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) regional Horn of Africa programme.

TPP Directors Laure-Hélène Piron and Neil McCulloch delivered an in-person training for the Kulmis Support Team, a third party monitoring project advising the Swiss Development Cooperation Horn of Africa programme. 

TPP Director Gareth Williams is developing an analytical framework covering the political economy dimensions of disaster risk reduction (DRR)  and climate change adaptation (CCA).

Led by TPP Associate, Nisar Majid, the FCDO-funded Horn Research Facility (HRF) was a political economy analysis facility providing support for the delivery of embassy priorities on conflict, the political settlement and service delivery in Ethiopia. The expected outcome throughout the programme was to deepen the UK’s understanding of the political economy context in Ethiopia and to increase the effectiveness of HMG’s development programming and policy design.

The Policy Practice undertook a political economy analysis commissioned by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) entitled: ‘Ethiopia and Somaliland: The political economy of Berbera port and corridor: continuities and volatility.’ This was the latest in a series of Policy Practice studies of the Berbera corridor since 2016 for the FCDO, and its predecessor the Department for International Development.

The project produced a tax strategy for the Economic Policy and Research Division of the Department of Economic Affairs of the African Union Commission. It also provided recommendations to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to inform their future engagement with the African Union on tax matters.

The Policy Practice assisted the preparation of a new UK funded programme in the Horn of Africa around the Berbera port and corridor in Somaliland and Ethiopia.

The Policy Practice facilitated a political economy analysis process for the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC) in the Horn of Africa (HoA), focused particularly on Somalia, southern/south-eastern Ethiopia, the arid and semi-arid lowlands of north-eastern Kenya and Djibouti. Simon Brook, TPP Principal and team leader, managed a complex process involving SDC teams in Kenya and Ethiopia, as well as TPP regional, sector and political economy experts.