Open PEA blog

Nepal’s civil service serves political parties more than it serves the public, and is a first-order constraint on growth. The new government has a rare opportunity to change this, but it will only work if reformers treat de-politicisation as a political project, not a technical one. – By Open PEA

Norway is asking better questions about the future of aid than almost any other donor. The next step is to accept that the binding constraint is not money. And not pay for the political analysis everyone relies on and nobody publishes. – By Peter J Evans and Dan Banik

The third wave of philanthropy is not the typical arena for political economy analysis – but should be. An ambition for audacious, transformational impact cannot afford to ignore politics. – By Peter J Evans

Out of Pocket spending in health is ten times larger than total aid to health. Shouldn't we talk more about this kind of thing in PEA? – By Peter J Evans

The world has greatly improved access to education, but quality has proved more difficult. Political economy analysis can help. – By Kenechukwu Nwagbo

In Malawi, elite politics sustain a maize economy riddled with corruption that traps smallholder farmers in poverty. Shifting more agricultural, social protection, and humanitarian funding towards cash-based support could disrupt this elite bargain, though doing so will require political as well as technical strategy. – By Edward Archibald

This is for those who think political research is going to get them into trouble. – By Peter J Evans