The political economy of economic policy advice

Working paper

This paper examines the political economy of economic policy advice. It offers a framework for assessing how to maximize the economic development impact of advice, allowing for the political incentives of those in power. It argues for a ’second best’ analysis that looks to maximize development impact given political incentives and shows how standard advice, as often given by researchers or by advisors in government or from international organisations such as World Bank and IMF may not be this second best. Furthermore, it looks at the implications of treating political constraints as endogenous. Some examples illustrate how research and advice can be more impactful taking into account local political economy conditions.

Authors: Dercon, S

• Publication status: Published
• Publisher: Centre for the Study of African Economies
• Series: CSAE Working Papers
• Publication date: 2023-10-16
• Paper number: CSAE-WPS-2023-09
• Language: English
• Keywords: political economy; Africa; economics; policy advice