Image credit: Shutterstock; Illustration by POGO The relationship between public servants and ministers is critical to sound, ‘evidence-based’ policy making. Ideally, in a Weberian public service, officials feel empowered to speak truth to power, and offer free and frank advice without fear of bullying or other adverse reprisals. Sadly, as we have seen in both …
Continue reading Reflections from an Ex-Vice President: The political / civil service divide
This blog forms part of a series of internal Political Economy Analysis (PEA) updates compiled by Priya Chattier/Tara Davda, with general wisdom by Graham Teskey and Lavinia Tyrrel. Thanks to Leisa Gibson/Priya for GESI support. We will aim to publish these every fortnight or so. Watch this space. This week focuses on criticisms of the …
By : Jacqui De Lacy, Anna Winoto, Esther McIntosh, Lena Kolyada, Priya Chattier, and Leisa Gibson Many of us have worked hard to address racial and gender inequality so that women are simply recognised for their skills and talent. Recently, we discussed this at the 2020 Women in Global Development Leadership Forum. It is no …
This blog forms part of a series of internal Political Economy Analysis (PEA) updates compiled by Priya Chattier/Tara Davda, with general wisdom by Graham Teskey and Lavinia Tyrrel. Thanks to Leisa Gibson (and Priya) for GESI support. We will aim to publish these every fortnight or so. Watch this space. This week provides more detail …
By Priya Chattier and Leisa Gibson Foreword to the blog: This blog is part of a gender responsive Political Economy Analysis series that aims to bring ‘gender’ back into the political economy discourse. In particular, the need to problematise gender as an analytical category of power analysis that aims to advance the political economy and …
Continue reading Gender trouble with ‘thinking and working politically’
Interview with Jacqui De Lacey Facilities are often misunderstood by the development community and have been subject to a number of criticisms, including high transaction costs, excessive complexity and for adding an necessary layer of administration between DFAT and the delivery of aid and development funding. In this podcast (recorded with Rachel Mason Nunn for …
Continue reading Podcast: Are managing contractors the problem, or the solution?
This blog forms part of a series of internal Political Economy Analysis (PEA) updates compiled by Priya Chattier/Tara Davda, with general wisdom by Graham Teskey and Lavinia Tyrrel. Thanks to Leisa Gibson (and Priya) for GESI support. We will aim to publish these every fortnight or so. Watch this space. Political economy analysis (PEA) is …
Online networking for stir-crazy development workers in lock-down is apparently a thing now. Being led, at least in Australia, by the Research for Development Impact Network (RDI) – it’s a bit like speed dating, but without the awkward silences and musty pub smell. The most recent event focused on Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL). …
Continue reading ‘Speed dating’ for MERL and adaptive management wonks
Starting…. In a recent edition of the New Yorker, Lawrence Wright considered how major crises through history have tended to bring about profound social change as people were forced to think differently.[1] So, now is a good time to consider the extent to which the shock of Covid and the resultant need to w@h (work …
Continue reading Covid + w@h + Zoom = a big change for TA and Managing Contractors?
We're all been there. Endless hours of writing in big black pens on butcher’s paper. Plastering colourful sticky notes to windows. Eating too many unhealthy local snacks (always in individual wrapping). And drinking excessive cups of 3 in 1[1]. What am I talking about? The simultaneously dreaded and revered theory of change workshop. Figure 1: …
By Graham Teskey A Governance Advisor's notebook: Alternative ideas and Approaches In 2014, an idea was hatched in the Paris-based GovNet. Yes really. At that time, David Yang, now Vice President at the United States Institute for Peace, and I were GovNet’s two co-chairs. Alan Whaites, a senior governance adviser on secondment from DFID, was …
Continue reading The paradoxes of the long-distance governance adviser
This blog forms part of a series of internal Political Economy Analysis (PEA) updates compiled by Priya Chattier/Tara Davda, with general wisdom by Graham Teskey and Lavinia Tyrrel. Thanks to Leisa Gibson (and Priya) for GESI support. We will aim to publish these every fortnight or so. Watch this space. It’s all about the framing …
Continue reading PEA Update 2 : “Thinking politically” – PEA framing and tools
Governance and Development Soapbox 