This guide is based on work by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). It draws on power and political economy analysis, and other research, undertaken in Rwanda, Myanmar, Yemen and Angola. The guide is written for Oxfam Country Directors and Programme Managers and aims to provide practical support in the design and management of governance programmes. It provides guidance on how to identify where power lies, both ‘within’ and ‘without’ the state (ie armed actors, religious groups, economic interest), and points to the need for continued analysis across all levels of governance (local, regional, national) to identify entry points, windows of opportunity, and strategies for change.
The guide notes that hybrid and fragile contexts differ significantly, and different change models may be appropriate to each context. However, principles underpinning governance work in fragile contexts include the following:
- Changing context: Working on governance in fragile contexts requires recognition that the situation may be in continual flux, requiring constant checking of assumptions underlying programme strategy, planning, and implementation – and making changes to planned work as necessary.
- Power analysis: Rigorous political economy and power analysis is vital to allow Oxfam to understand where power lies and how change can happen. Diverse sources of information, including taking the ‘pulse on the ground’, are essential to inform the analysis: citizens themselves are an important source of information.
- Levels of governance: It is important to understand how power operates at all levels of governance, from local to national, and across various institutions and spaces. Addressing each type of power and level of governance will require different approaches and strategies. Targeting all levels of governance at once (either directly or through strategic alliances with others), rather than focusing on one, is more likely to bring about sustainable change. Building safe spaces for engagement is important in developing citizen capabilities in transition contexts.
- Working with unusual actors: Oxfam may find that those with power and influence are armed actors, or that the only way into certain territories is to collaborate on a specific issue with a repressive government. The choice of partners and approach Oxfam takes to working with these actors will be crucial – and must be sensitively made with full awareness, management and documentation of the purpose of the work and the risks involved.
- Relationships with partners: Prioritise building trust and strong relationships with partners, whether CSOs, citizens’ groups, elements of the government or more unusual partners, as a strategic approach for working between informal and formal politics and types of power. There is a lot of potential for non-conventional methods, such as art, drama, music, film, etc, to be used as a way of opening discussion about sensitive issues.
- Identify and respond to windows of opportunity: Political transitions may offer opportunities for change, but these windows are often short. Staff should be encouraged to use their knowledge and understanding to identify such opportunities.
- Direct versus indirect approaches: Building citizen capabilities around more neutral entry topics, such as livelihoods, can allow people to develop citizenship skills even in repressive contexts and enable citizens to take advantage of spaces for participation as they open up.
- Promote democratic principles: Oxfam can promote democratic principles (including gender equity) through its governance work. It should be alert to the danger that it can inadvertently reinforce an anti-democratic political culture through its own ways of working, and actively aim to address this.
