Institutional and Context Analysis: Guidance Note– UNDP (2012)

The Institutional and Context Analysis Guidance Note is UNDP’s methodology for undertaking political economy analysis to support development programmes. The Guidance Note has emerged as a direct response to demand from Country Offices for a resource that helps UNDP staff understand the political and institutional context in which they operate in a way that is suited to the needs and mandate of the organization. It offers practical guidance to UNDP Country Offices on how to use ICA to assess the enabling environment. The term ‘institutional and context analysis’ refers to analyses that focus on political and institutional factors, as well as processes concerning the use of national and external resources in a given setting and how these have an impact on the implementation of UNDP programmes and policy advice. An ICA is envisioned as an input to programming that focuses on how different actors in society, who are subject to an assortment of incentives and constraints, shape the likelihood of programme success.