Political Economy Analysis
Policy implementation is determined by the political context of a country. What does this mean in practice? This blog summarizes free resources on political economy analysis
Better Govs focuses on implementation. In this section you will find blogs that talk about everything that happens once you start a project. From how to get started, monitor progress, and the learning process of implementation. If you can’t find something contact me, I love to receive suggestions for new topics.
Are we there yet?
One of the common questions I get asked is how do you know you are making progress? That you are on the right track? This blog is about Monitoring, the secret for getting things done.
Politics: the answer to the question everybody asks
This blog is a short answer to the question people ask me the most; “What was it like to be a Minister?” This is my first personal reflection of what it meant for me. I talk briefly about the good, the bad, the ugly and the hope.
Could governments learn better?
There is a difference between learning what to do, which depends on the accumulation and assimilation of knowledge, and learning how to do it, which generally comes through practice.
Designing good policies is one thing, implementing them is another
Forging and adopting technically sound policies is necessary for successful development, but it is not enough: any policy is only as good as its implementation. In this blog Michael Woolcock and Norman Loayza argue that policy implementation can fail for two broad reasons: (1) the absence of complementary measures needed to make the chosen policy effective; and (2) the inadequate capability of prevailing institutions and administrative systems.
Turning government failure into success: How Korea learned from MERS to succeed in COVID-19
South Korea has been showcased as an exemplar in the global fight against COVID-19. The country’s testing capacity, combined with its ability to trace people who may have been exposed to the virus and treat patients, has been highlighted as the key to its success. What I find more interesting about Korea is not so much what they are doing but why they are doing it. Korea’s current success builds on previous failures, on the government’s ability to learn from past mistakes and to institutionalise those lessons.
How to communicate effectively in a crisis
Effective communication is an essential component of crisis response. In this article, I share three lessons from Korea, Colombia and Argentina regarding disaster response.
