Political Economy Studies : Are They Actionable? Some Lessons from Zambia

In recent years, the number of studies
looking at the effect of politics on economic outcomes has
flourished. For developing economies, these studies are
useful to better understand why long overdue reforms are not
implemented. The studies analyze the overall context within
which reforms are being implemented and the underlying
incentive framework. However, it seems difficult to make
such studies actionable, especially in sectors where donors
have a heavy presence that can sometimes distort incentives
in addition to the reluctance from some governments to amend
the existing systems in place. This paper focuses on some
conclusions emerging from the political economy diagnostics
carried out in Zambia in various sectors in recent years.
Based on interviews of World Bank task managers, the paper
attempts to assess the relevance of these studies for the
implementation of projects and the policy dialogue and draws
lessons on how they have influenced the implementation of
the World Bank's support to programs in various sectors
in Zambia as well as the main challenges for this type of exercise.