3. Noteworthy Case Studies

There is a large number of political economy studies in the literature and many more that are not publicly available.  We have provided below a list of publicly available political economy studies for a variety of different sectors and topics in a range of countries.  For country level political economy studies, many of DFID’s original Drivers of Change studies can be found on the GSDRC website.

3.1 Anti-corruption

Hoffmann, L.K. and Patel, R.N. (2017) ‘Collective Action on Corruption in Nigeria: A Social Norms Approach to Connecting Society and Institutions’. London: Chatham House

Khan, M., Andreoni, A. and Roy, P. (2019) ‘Anti-corruption in Adverse Contexts: Strategies for Improving Implementation’. Working Paper 13. London: ACE/SOAS Consortium.

3.2 Country/donor relationships

Byiers, B., Ronceray, M. and Bossuyt, J. (2021) ‘Applying a Political Economy Approach in Tunisia’. Discussion Paper 290. Maastricht: ECDPM.

Kelsall, T. (2018) ‘Thinking and Working with Political Settlements: The Case of Tanzania’. Working Paper 541. London: ODI.

3.3 Economic Sectors

Andreoni, A., Mushi, D. and Therkildsen, O. (2021) ‘Tanzania’s “Rice Bowl”: Production Success, Scarcity Persistence and Rent Seeking in the East African Community’. Working Paper 34. London: ACE/SOAS Consortium.

Poulton, C. and Kanyinga, K. (2014) ‘The Politics of Revitalising Agriculture in Kenya’, Development Policy Review 32(S2): s151-s172.

Sen, K. and Tyce, M. (2018) ‘The Politics of Structural (De)Transformation: The Unravelling of Malaysia and Thailand’s Dualistic Deals Strategies’, in L. Pritchett, K. Sen and E. Werker (eds.) Deals and Development: The Political Dynamics of Growth Episod

Tyce, M. (2020) ‘A “Private Sector Success Story”? Uncovering the Role of Politics and the State in Kenya’s Horticultural Export Sector’, Journal of Development Studies 56(10): 1877-1893.

Franz, T. (2018) 'Power balances, transnational elites, and local economic governance: The political economy of development in Medellín.' Local Economy: The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit, 33 (1). pp. 85-109

​​​​​​​3.4 Education

Pherali, T. and Sahar, Arif (2018). Learning in the chaos: A political economy analysis of education in Afghanistan. Research in Comparative and International Education, 13 (2), 239-258.

3.5 Energy

Ahmad, A., McCulloch, N., Al-Masri, M. and Ayoub, M. (2020) ‘From Dysfunctional to Functional Corruption: The Politics of Reform in Lebanon’s Electricity Sector’. Working Paper 30. London: ACE/SOAS Consortium.

Lavers, T., Terrefe, B. and Gebresenbet, F. (2021) ‘Powering Development: The Political Economy of Electricity Generation in the EPRDF’s Ethiopia’. FutureDAMS Working Paper 14. Manchester: University of Manchester.

3.6 Humanitarian system

Jaspars, S., Adan, G.M. and Majid, N. (2020) Food and Power in Somalia: Business as Usual? A Scoping Study on the Political Economy of Food Following Shifts in Food Assistance and in Governance’. London: Conflict Research Programme/LSE.

Maxwell, D. and Hailey, P. (2020) ‘The Politics of Information and Analysis in Famines and Extreme Emergencies: Synthesis of Findings from Six Case Studies’. Boston, MA: Tufts University/Feinstein International Center.

Steets, J., Binder, A., Derzsi-Horvath, A., Krüger, S. and Ruppert, L. (2016) ‘Drivers and Inhibitors of Change in the Humanitarian System: A Political Economy Analysis of Reform Efforts Relating to Cash, Accountability to Affected Populations and Protect

3.7 Public-sector reform

Bridges, K. and Woolcock, M. (2017) ‘How (Not) to Fix Problems That Matter: Assessing and Responding to Malawi’s History of Institutional Reform’. Policy Research WP 8289. Washington, DC: World Bank.

State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability (2015) SPARC: A politically engaged approach to supporting governance reform in Nigeria, Nigeria : SPARC

Lowe, C., Both, N., Foresti, M., Leach, A. and Rist, K. (2020) What drives reform? A political economy analysis of migration policy in Morocco, London : ODI.

3.8 Regional integration

Mathieson, C. (2016) ‘The Political Economy of Regional Integration: The East African Community (EAC)’. Maastricht: ECDPM.

3.9 Social services

Kelsall, T. (2020) ‘Political Settlements and the Implementation of Maternal Health Policy in the Developing World: A Comparative Case Study of Rwanda, Ghana, Uganda and Bangladesh’. Working Paper 137. Manchester: ESID Research Centre.

McDonnell, A., Urrutia, A, F. and Samman, E. (2019) Reaching universal health coverage: a political economy review of trends across 49 countries, London : ODI .

3.10 Climate change

A Guide to Assessing the Political Economy of Domestic Climate Change Governance - J. Worker & N. Palmer