TWP in the Hotseat: Hard Lessons from the Frontline

Drawing on his roles with bilateral development agencies, Mwamba argues that political economy analysis (the “Thinking Politically”) is widely used, but reform depends on the “Working Politically”: judgement exercised when evidence collides with donor incentives. Three cases illustrate this:

• Zambia: a USAID programme stepped back so the government could lead decentralisation, contributing to the devolution of 13 functions in 2023.
• Nigeria: DFID allies shielded a governance programme from demands for quick, attributable results.
• DRC: in 2018, the UK commissioned a technical review of voting machines, using programme funds to serve a diplomatic aim of a peaceful transition.

Key lessons:

• Analysis informs, but judgement decides.
• Practitioners often need to stay invisible.
• Adaptive teams need institutional “cover”.
• Reform happens where formal and informal power meet.

As aid shrinks and donors turn to national interest, the paper argues, judgement becomes the main currency of influence, linking development and diplomacy. It calls for relational contracts and learning-oriented accountability. Meanwhile, practitioners use “guerrilla craft” to protect space for reform: telling compelling stories, bending donor categories, starting with local actors, and building networks rather than relying on single champions.