Democratic Republic of Congo – Political Economy of Basic Education
This literature review of the political economy of the basic education sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) draws on over 50 published and unpublished reports. It has also been informed by a DFID workshop held on 11 July 2012 on the political economy of education in DRC. The report is divided into three parts. The first part provides a synthesis of the literature from a political economy perspective, and is organised according to the following key themes: (1) the performance of the basic education sector, (2) government policy and its effects, (3) the institutional framework and main actors, (4) financial flows in the sector, (5) upwards and downwards accountability, and (6) donor strategies to support the sector and evidence of their effectiveness. The second part of the paper highlights the principal political economy issues facing the sector. The final sections of the paper identify entry points for donor engagement in the sector, gaps in knowledge and priorities for further research.