The objective of political economy is to understand how power and resources are distributed, organized and contested in different contexts, and how this relates to development processes. It is an approach to understand the political factors and political dynamics in the context in which change should take place, and to identify entry points for change. It further analyses the possible implication of change/reforms for different population groups, i.e. who benefits and who loses, what potential tensions, conflicts this implies and what this means in terms of risk identification its management. Finally it is a lens through which to look at development problems.
You will find on this page selected information that will help you get an understanding of the topic; analytical tools and methods that can support you in your day-to-day work; and a selection of reports that will give you a flavour of the richness and usefulness of political economy analysis.
