In the last 30 years, Nepal has undergone some important policy changes, such as the end of load-shedding, road expansion in Kathmandu and the introduction of a community forestry initiative. This study investigates factors driving policy change, building on 18 policy reform case studies in...

Adaptive management' and 'politically smart programming' are increasingly popular ideas in development. They capture an ambition to programme in ways that are more flexible and experimental, and which respond to and capitalise on political dynamics and incentives. Over the last 10 to 15 years...

This paper exploits several waves of two major nationwide representative surveys to document the impacts of climate shocks on individuals and households in Zambia. We merge these datasets with historical precipitation and temperature data at the district level. First, we show the gendered...

This paper examines the state and evolution of the rule of law in Mozambique, focusing on key dimensions such as voice and political participation, judicial independence and accessibility, corruption, access to basic services, personal security, and property rights. Drawing on Afrobarometer...

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of social assistance programmes in protecting households in Africa-a region highly vulnerable to climate change, conflict, and other shocks-during periods of crisis. Despite the significant increase in the number of these programmes over the past...

This study investigates the contribution of Mozambique's flagship social pension programme, the Programa de Subsídio Social Básico, to building resilience against shocks. Applying a fuzzy regression discontinuity approach to bespoke survey data, we separate direct effects of programme...

To date, there is limited understanding about the consequences of wartime dynamics for post-war state-building processes. This paper explores one such dynamics-the forms of governance exercised by armed groups during wartime-and proposes a theoretical framework outlining how forms of wartime...

Organized crime affects security, development, and democracy worldwide, but not much is known about its social consequences. We study how exposure to the presence of organized crime groups shapes the social capital of Italian citizens, including political participation, civic engagement, and...

This paper investigates how persistent changes in trust caused by the Great Recession have affected how governments and citizens across Europe responded to the next global crisis: the COVID-19 pandemic. We show that increases in individualism and mistrust towards institutions caused by...

The Principles of Effective Development Co-operation provide an important reference point for foreign aid and international development assistance. Although the principles-country ownership, focus on results, inclusive partnerships, and transparency and mutual accountability- are framed to...