This guidance note provides a framework for implementers of conflict, security and justice programmes to conduct political economy analysis (PEA) at the design or inception phase to ensure a deep understanding of the context drives activities. The publication draws on ODI’s ongoing work employing PEA to security and justice programmes.

While some adaptation of this guidance will inevitably be required in response to the particularities of different organisations, the intention is to provide a publically available resource to make PEA as relevant and useful as possible.

The note first sets out four preconditions to ensure PEA is more likely to achieve impact, before setting out seven steps detailing how PEA might usefully be undertaken, primarily at the design stage, to develop programmes that are genuinely responsive to context. The guidance also demonstrates how on-going PEA is also connected with efforts to work in more adaptive ways.