Our mission
Development initiatives can fail to reach their objectives, and sometimes the results achieved at the end of a project are not sustained. Organisations and people targeted by initiatives lack power, those who can make a difference are alone, and too often political barriers hamper success. The pathways to sustainable solutions are not simple or obvious.
We support development programmes to find sustainable solutions to governance problems identified by local partners.
Our work
We build an enabling environment for joint problem solving using different approaches agreed with the client.
We facilitate participatory processes, design projects, evaluate results, conduct training workshops, and mentor, co-design and conduct research and analysis, embracing the Doing Development Differently principles.
We work with development partners, local governments and government agencies, the private sector, foundations, NGOs and think tanks to improve programme or project implementation and results. We also facilitate organisational learning.
We have experience working in Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Honduras, Serbia and Albania.
We provide advice on the design and use of problem-driven approaches for social change, including problem-driven political economy analysis, problem-driven project design and problem-driven evaluation.
About us
Expertise: Problem-driven iterative adaptation (PDIA); planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning (PMEL); tenure, livelihoods and land rights; co-management, participatory land-use planning (PLUP); climate finance, reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+); payments for ecosystem services (PES).
Expertise: Problem-focused political economy analysis; problem-driven iterative adaptation (PDIA); adaptive programmes’ review; design and review of adaptive programmes’ learning systems; diagnostic assessment of country-level knowledge systems.
Our projects
We are providing technical inputs and strategic advice to the following projects:
Contributions to the Support to Indonesia’s Climate Change Response – Technical Advice Component Project with funding from EU and implemented by GIZ, SNV and AHT GROUP AG. (GIZ 10/2018 – 01/2019)
Leading the monitoring and learning work of the policy engagement workstream of the Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disaster (BRACED) programme which is implemented by ODI and ITAD Ltd. (DFID 06/2018-09/2019)
Strategic advice and participation in the steering committee of the Learning Partnership of the Youth Forward Initiative in Ghana and Uganda which is implemented by ODI, PDA Ghana and DRT Uganda. (Master Card Foundation 10/2018-02/2020)
Research and co-production of a discussion paper with the title “State Capability, Policymaking, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Why knowledge systems matter” with funding from Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation (10-11/2018).
Our partners
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Mlup Baitong is a Cambodian NGO working to increase environmental awareness and conservation, seeking solutions for sustainable and equitable use of natural resources through education, training, advocacy, community-based natural resource management, and eco-tourism activities.
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Participatory Development Associates (PDA) based in Ghana is an organisation of skilled people who aim to support processes of empowerment and self-determination in communities, organisations and individuals.
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Politics and Ideas is interested in discovering news ways to work with those interested in strengthening the dialogue between knowledge and policy, with those who dare to develop new perspectives and approaches that stem from real contexts and situations.
Contact us
We would love to hear from practitioners, researchers, consultants and organisations committed to testing and applying problem-driven approaches. Let us know your thoughts and ideas!