There is some debate about how sectarianism, particularly as it relates to the Middle East is commonly conceptualised. For many in the Middle East, it has come to be defined as the process of ascribing political and social claims or rights on the basis of religious adherence and belonging. However, scholars stress the importance of developing an appropriate conceptual framework ...» more
PEA / Thinking & working politically
Policies to counter sectarianism in MENA countries
The usual method employed by Middle Eastern states to counter sectarianism has been the use of force. Under authoritarian governments, discriminatory policies regarding service delivery and political representation and the threat or use of violence have proven effective in countering sectarian opposition. It is also important to note that Middle Eastern regimes have tended to ...» more
Social Media and Reform Networks, Protest and Social Movements
The widespread diffusion of the Internet, mobile communication, digital media and a variety of social software tools throughout the world has transformed the communication system into interactive horizontal networks that connect the local and global. They enable citizens to interact and can accelerate cooperation and action. This helpdesk research report looks at the role of ...» more
Political Economy of Sierra Leone
Key fndings: Political economy analysis is concerned with the interaction of political and economic processes in a society: the distribution of power and wealth between different groups and individuals, and the processes that create, sustain and transform these relationships over time (Collinson, 2003). Despite a large body of research on the Sierra Leone Civil War there is ...» more
Political and social analysis for development policy and practice: An overview of five approaches
Political economy (PE) analysis is concerned with the interaction of political and economic processes in a society: the distribution of power and wealth between different groups and individuals, and the processes that create, sustain and transform these relationships over time. PE analysis elucidates how power and resources are distributed and contested in different ...» more
Political Economy of Cash Transfers
Cash transfers are a form of social assistance in which money or cash-like instruments (e.g. vouchers) are distributed to vulnerable individuals or households. They can vary in targeting (eligibility requirements, such as age, poverty, and disability) or conditionality (specific actions required to receive payment, such as requiring children to attend school or a health ...» more
Critique of Governance Assessment Applications
Governance assessments are based on subjective indicators (or measures), objective indicators or a combination of the two, known as composite indicators. Composite indicators are the most popular and are used by international organisations, donors, investors and the media (Arndt, 2008). Of these the most popular seems to be the World Bank’s World Governance Indicators (WGIs). ...» more
Water and Energy in Central Asia
Much of the literature on the political economy of trans-boundary water and energy in Central Asia covers common ground on the following issues:Historical factors in the region and the legacy on water allocation of Soviet Rule – although there is some variation in opinion over the extent to which Soviet-era water and energy allocations have contributed to instability, conflict ...» more
Gender and Conflict Assessments
Guidance for carrying out gender and conflict assessments is not well-developed; conflict assessments and gender assessments exist as separate types of analytical documents but there are comparatively few examples of gender and conflict assessments, and no established methodologies for doing them. Guidance for undertaking such assessments is drawn from three broad sources: a) ...» more
Political Economy Methodologies
Traditional concepts of political economy have focused on top down, macro-level approaches that examine institutions and its rules. More recently, ‘institutional economics’ and other methodologies have emphasised the need for a bottom up, micro-level, ‘game theory’ approach that looks at individual interactions and individual incentives to follow institutional rules. This is of ...» more
