ODI is Britain's leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues.

Politics and Governance

A woman is helped by a member of the polling staff to cast her vote at a polling station in Freetown, Sierra Leone, 11 August 2007. Sierra Leone's elections were the first to be organised internally since UN peacekeepers pulled out in 2005.	IRIN	© Tugela Ridley

The Politics and Governance Programme is a centre for research and policy engagement on political and governance issues in development.

Our aim is to provide this analysis to the international and national development community to achieve more informed and effective policy and practice.

Our research and policy advisory work has an overarching focus on how politics and governance can work better for development and alleviate poverty.

What we work on

Political institutions and systems

 

The politics of conflict and fragility

Kenya Parliament building (Source: DEMOSH, Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/44222307@N00/950695442/)

  • Our work on political institutions and systems examines the nature of formal and informal institutions and their impact on citizen-state relations and development processes.

 

Abandoned tank, Somalia (Source: Carl Montgomery, Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlmontgomery/1709694176/)

  • Fragility is a deeply political phenomenon. Our work seeks to support state-building efforts by focusing on building technical capacities and effectiveness of institutions, power, incentives, and the contract between state and society.

Justice, rights and security

 

Sectoral and problem driven political economy analysis

Two children stand together as heavy rain falls at a temporary shelter in Kenya. (Source: REUTERS/Georgina Cranston, Reuters - http://members.alertnet.org/thenews/photoalbum/1213720015.htm)

  • We examine the implications for citizen state relations and the linkages between the promotion of rights at the domestic and international level.

 

Election poster for Ghana MP (Source: spinning jenny, Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/spinningjenny/5898900/)

  • We have pioneered the application of political economy analysis to understand the realities of power relations, incentives and change-processes, and improve the effectiveness of development interventions.

Aid and accountability

 

Magnifying glass (Source: marcomagrini, Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcomagrini/698692268/)

  • Relationships and tensions between aid and forms of accountability are increasingly debated. ODI work examines the issues for countries receiving aid, and those providing it.

 

How we work

Innovative assessments of governance and rights

 

Theory-based policy and programme evaluation

Malawi cash transfers scheme - handing out cash (Source: Rachel Slater and Rebecca Holmes, ODI)

  • We work directly with donors and other practitioners to develop and apply innovative frameworks to analyse and assess governance and rights.

 

Aids Poster Dgmina (Source: mknobil, Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/knobil/66825155/)

  • We aim to bring up-to-date evaluation thinking into the design and implementation of evaluations. This effort is particularly focused on exercises that shed light on major areas of aid or significant innovations in policy.