Research and analysis

Understanding stakeholders and political networks: practical guidance note

This document outlines how to undertake dynamic stakeholder analysis and political-network mapping to support international co-operation and development partnerships.

Documents

Details

This technical note is for use alongside the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) guide to understanding political economy analysis (PEA) and thinking and working politically and is part of a series of guides on the use of PEA in practice. It sets out more detailed guidance on how to undertake a dynamic stakeholder analysis and political network mapping, both of which can be used to support international cooperation and development partnerships.

Stakeholder analysis considers the key actors relevant to an area of work, political network mapping goes further, analysing the relationships between actors. Both tools help practitioners move from a general understanding towards specific, evidence-based decisions. These approaches can contribute to the design and implementation of a strategy, policy dialogue or development programme, and to the management of risks

This guide has been produced jointly with the Thinking and Working Politically Community of Practice (TWP CoP). The TWP CoP is a global network of practitioners and researchers in international cooperation committed to helping practitioners understand how change happens and why. The TWP CoP Secretariat has been hosted by the University of Birmingham with support from FCDO.

Updates to this page

Published 16 April 2026

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