Applying a Political Economy Perspective to Development
We are a network of experienced development professionals who all take a political economy perspective to development. Our Directors, Principals and Associates have specialist knowledge of particular countries and sectors. They have strong connections to government, the private sector, civil society, media and research organisations. They bring to bear their own long working experience within official agencies, academia and the private sector.
The Policy Practice applies a political economy approach to supporting positive change in developing countries. We undertake strategic and policy work in developing countries, including political economy analysis, programme designs, reviews, and evaluations. We also run a flagship training course on political economy analysis and provide bespoke training for a wide variety of clients.
Can we still achieve peace?
On the day US troops formally withdrew from Iraq, TPP Principal Niki Palmer asks if we can still achieve peace and suggests how to improve peacebuilding interventions.
Podcast: Subsidies and Social Protection - Reforms for a Sustainable Transition
Why are subsidies so difficult to reform, even when more effective alternatives exist? In this podcast by Socialprotection.org, TPP Director Neil McCulloch examines the political, institutional and economic challenges that have made subsidy reform one of the most complex issues in social policy.
Governing climate action? Governance, political economy and systems change in country platforms
Climate Country Platforms promise to bring finance and policy together around national climate goals. But in this paper, Brendan Halloran argues they'll only deliver if they confront the political economy, power and governance barriers that keep holding climate action back — and he sets out how, with practical steps for governments, banks and funders.
TPP supports innovative apiculture initiative in the Republic of Congo
(Photo shared by @AfricanBee)
The Policy Practice is supporting an apiculture initiative in the Republic of Congo with Palladium under the Partnerships for Forests. Led by Theodore Trefon, it aims to scale beekeeping into a market-based model, combining political economy analysis, digital tools and participatory revenue systems.
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.
Ground Rules Ep 6: Understanding the political economy of customary land rights in Indonesia
This blog on the political economy of cultural land rights in Indonesia is part of a series of Ground Rules developed by the Land Facility Decision Support Unit.
The Political Economy of Gender and Energy
As part of the webinar series looking at different aspects of the energy transition from a political economy perspective, the ENERGIA international network on gender and sustainable energy hosted the third webinar on development partners' changed political priorities regarding gender and social inclusion (GESI) and the strategies that practitioners have used to embed GESI within national energy institutions.
Laure-Hélène Piron is the Team Leader of the Sahel Technical Support Project for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The project provides actionable political economy analysis and flexible, demand-led technical assistance to enable adaptive, context-sensitive reforms in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
TPP associate Steve Fraser is providing political economy expertise to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Land Facility. Supporting the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme, Steve is analysing why Kaduna State struggles to implement responsible agricultural investment frameworks, and what it would take to activate them.
TPP Director Neil McCulloch is leading a three-country political economy assessment of carbon pricing in Indonesia, the Philippines and Viet Nam for the International Institute for Sustainable Development, under the Emissions Ambition for Sustainable Economies initiative funded by Global Affairs Canada. Interviews, focus groups and in-country contextual clinics assess the political feasibility of carbon pricing options and what they mean for a just transition.
TPP is conducting participatory political economy analyses of the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) locally led conservation work in Tanzania, Papua New Guinea and Tunisia, collaborating with locally embedded specialists. Findings will inform the initiative's second phase through a cross-country synthesis, public learning resource and dissemination webinar.
TPP Director Laure-Hélène Piron and TPP Associate Tobe Nneli are undertaking research on Nigeria's migration management system for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
TPP Director Neil McCulloch led a political economy analysis in Indonesia for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade together with national experts. The study examined two contentious energy issues: reforming Indonesia's costly fossil fuel subsidies, and accelerating the shift from diesel to renewable power across remote communities.
TPP Director Neil McCulloch and Tim Kelsall (ODI) with TPP Principal Samantha Wade are delivering a six-session online political economy analysis workshop to staff from the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Anna Paterson is leading an independent evaluation of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation’s support to the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, using Uganda as a country case study. The Institute undertakes applied research and innovation in water and sanitation (WASH) and waste management, including strengthening evidence-based WASH interventions in crisis settings.
The Policy Practice delivered an online political economy analysis training for UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office staff working towards accreditation in the Climate and Nature Diplomacy competency cluster.
The Policy Practice is a lead provider of training on applied political economy analysis for development practitioners.
Political economy analysis provides a deeper understanding of the contexts in which development happens – whether international, national, sectoral or local. It explores how structural factors, institutions and incentives of the key actors shape the possibilities for change in any given context – and how development partners can influence this.
Our course is designed to equip advisers and programme managers to identify the main political and institutional challenges and opportunities in the contexts in which they work, and to draw well-grounded conclusions for strategy, programme design and approaches to implementation.
We have run our flagship course for development professionals over 45 times since 2008, training over 2,000 professionals. We also offer tailored courses and bespoke advice to organisations that wish to deepen their capacity to undertake political economy analysis or manage their programmes more adaptively. Course participants come from bilateral and multilateral organisations, such as the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the US Agency for International Development, the Netherlands Foreign Ministry, Irish Aid, the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission, or the United Nations Development Programme. Our clients also include research centres, non-governmental organisations and private companies, such as the The Elders, Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, Save The Children, Saferworld, DAI, Palladium or Chemonics.
We are also running our online course on the Political Economy for Climate Action over a six week period in early 2027.
Political economy analysis in action online training course
We will be running the next Political Economy Analysis in Action online training course in February 2027. If you would like further information on this course, please see our flyer here.
Participants on this interactive 17-week online course:
- Learn what political economy analysis is and why it matters
- Explore political economy concepts and how to use them
- Interact with leading experts on political economy analysis and thinking and working politically on a weekly basis
- Work through real-life case studies applying political economy tools to development challenges
- Participate in regular webinars with other course participants
- Learn how to ‘think and work politically’ in their own work
- Participants work both independently and in small groups to complete weekly tasks
The Policy Practice will be running our Political Economy Analysis for Climate Action again in January 2027. This course draws on our flagship Applied Political Economy Analysis training course, but with material focussed on how PEA can maximise the effectiveness of action on climate change and is rooted in real life examples from The Policy Practice experience.