Institutions & Political Economy

In Afghanistan, counterinsurgency efforts weakened community ties and local trust – ultimately undermining the foundations needed for reconstruction and peace.

Evidence from Nigeria shows that protests can influence fiscal redistribution, but the manner and direction depend critically on the political relationship between disbursing governments and protesting regions.

Thirty years after South Africa created its Truth and Reconciliation Commission, its legacy remains contested. New evidence shows why: the TRC helped bring Black South Africans closer together, but also deepened the divide between Black and White com...

Courts in the Global South often operate under conditions of weak statehood, political instability, and social fragmentation – yet research shows they can still function effectively, sometimes in unexpected ways.

Efforts to close gender gaps in politics have focused heavily on getting women elected to parliament, but this overlooks the very different challenges facing non-elite women. New research examines how patriarchal norms, social networks, and a lack of independent decision-making shape women's political engagement across the world.

What does the push for evidence-based policy actually look like inside institutions?

A land formalisation programme in Benin significantly increased the likelihood that widows – especially those without a son – remained in their villages, offering formal institutional protection where customary norms left women most vulnerable.