Guidance

Understanding a quick political economy analysis (PEA) approach

This technical note is for people using political economy analysis (PEA) in international co-operation.

• From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
• Published: 24 September 2025

Documents

Understanding a quick political economy analysis approach

PDF, 390 KB, 4 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Understanding a quick political economy analysis approach

HTML

Details

This note is for use alongside the FCDO guide to political economy analysis and thinking and working politically. It explains how to simplify one popular PEA tool into an approach that can be used by development practitioners wherever they are working.  

FCDO’s guide to PEA points to several quick PEA tools that can be used in development. This approach sits alongside the wider set of methodologies as a way to use `structure-agency thinking’ in a short timeframe. It is an approach that can be used by any/all development practitioners to understand the underlying issues that sit beneath the problems and opportunities in their work.

Published 24 September 2025