Research and analysis

Understanding politics and the security sector

A practical guide to political economy analysis, thinking and working politically, and conflict analysis in security sector governance and management.

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This technical guide offers practical guidance on how to use political economy analysis (PEA), thinking and working politically (TWP), and conflict analysis in security sector governance and management (SSGM).

It is aimed at people working within international humanitarian and development contexts. This includes practitioners such as project leaders, advisors, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) specialists, and local counterparts who face the realities of SSGM.

The guide sets out why these approaches are important to achieving successful outcomes, explains important concepts and discusses specific tools and techniques that can be adopted. 

‘Understanding politics and the security sector’ is part of a series of FCDO technical guides on the use of political economy analysis and thinking and working politically. 

Updates to this page

Published 9 March 2026

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