Research and policy
Global Partners & Associates believes that initiatives designed to strengthen democracy and human rights must be built on a detailed understanding of both the subject and the context. Sound research is therefore the basis of Global Partners work.
Our approach to research and policy development includes:
Detailed scoping analyses to enhance understanding of complex issues and trends, often to form the basis for the development and implementation of strategic project work.
Active research through workshops and policy forums, working with stakeholders to build collective knowledge and identify solutions to problems.
Development of analytical frameworks to help navigate complex issue areas and guide comparative research and project work.
Meaningful and enduring change can only be achieved by addressing the underlying factors and incentives that influence the behaviour and performance of individuals, organisations and institutions. Our research and policy work takes the social, political and cultural context of a given area as its starting point. We also draw on the experience and knowledge of stakeholders, practitioners and experts in the field in order to build as detailed, accurate and broad-based assessment as possible.
Scoping analyses of donor assistance: Communications development and democracy strengthening
Global Partners & Associates was commissioned by the Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2008 to conduct two scoping analyses to inform the development of their democracy support strategy in developing countries. The first report provided an overview of the status of freedom of expression across the world, analysing current trends and making recommendations for strategic intervention in the field. The second report analysed the activity and effectiveness of the international donor community in the fields of parliamentary and political party assistance. The report highlighted the need for better coordination, effective monitoring and analysis, and greater attention to the political factors which impact on democracy strengthening work.
Framework for analysing the politics of parliamentary reform: a tool for donors and practitioners
Global Partners & Associates, in conjunction with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), is currently developing an analytical tool for assessing the political and contextual factors that shape parliamentary performance. Drawing on case studies from Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe, the overarching aim of the framework is to help donor agencies, practitioners and reform-minded politicians develop strengthening programmes that understand and engage with the political structure and dynamics of parliamentary institutions. The analysis examines: first, the incentive and opportunity structures that influence the behaviour of individual parliamentarians; second, the power structures that exist within different parliamentary systems and the potential blockages to reform and; third, strategies that seek to align incentives around effective parliamentary performance. The framework will be used by donors and practitioners to assess and develop parliamentary strengthening programmes.