Dear All,
As we mentioned in our September-October, we have a new
TWP CoP publication, in collaboration with The Policy Practice;
authored by Beverley Jones and Daniel Oosthuizen, with Dr Abdelgalil Elmekki
and Esraa Ahmed, titled Political Economy Analysis in Sudan: Handy Tools for
Everyone?. This paper has now been published on the TWP CoP website.
The paper tells a deeply personal story about how young
people used participatory PEA in Sudan in what became a form of political
empowerment, making a contribution to the TWP field that is wonderfully unique.
Executive Summary:
Based on a case study of the Kullana Liltanmia
(All of Us for Development) (KLP) Contextual Analysis (CA) course in Sudan,
this paper tells the story of how training and capacity building in
Political Economy Analysis (PEA) made a difference in the lives and experiences
of those involved, including in particular young people. The paper
highlights three critical lessons:
- At the country level, the twists and turns
of Sudan’s recent history reinforce the importance of people
deepening their understanding of what is really going on, in order to make
better informed (if not the best or least-worst) choices. The skills and
mindset of both broad and localised PEA capacity can make a difference to
people living in fragile and conflict-affected settings, where navigating
complexity and uncertainty is a daily reality.
- At the level of
strategic programming,
the potential of PEA remains under-utilised. There is considerable scope
for capacity in PEA to support not only ordinary people across a range of
different occupations and educational levels, but also prominent actors
who may eventually play key roles in political processes, and whose
choices can affect the longer-term prospects for stability and peace. This
becomes even more imperative in the context of the war in Sudan,
which now involves a plethora of external actors.
- At the level of the
experiment in the KLP CA course, this story reinforces the paramount importance of
adapting and grounding PEA training in a common understanding among its
intended participants, shaping it through their insights and experience.
It also highlights how essential it is to nurture PEA skills and mindsets
not only in stable contexts but also in challenging, more dangerous and
uncertain ones. Supporting this vital capability during periods of hiatus,
fast-moving transitions, and even active conflict is a public good; and it
requires courage and creativity on the part of the donors, course
designers, implementers and participants.
You can read the paper here.
We have also updated our September-October Newsletter to reflect this new
publication. You can read the newsletter here
Please do share this amongst your networks, and we hope you
enjoy!
Kind regards,
Thandie