How regions, countries, and localities have confronted and overcome their own challenges is instructive for leaders and citizens facing challenges today. Drawing on both historical analysis and lessons from its work advising leaders, ISE continues to document a diverse set of cases of transformation and reforms. These cases provide insight into how leaders and citizens developed a reform agenda, the policies and institutions advanced reforms, how the market and citizens were engaged, and what communications strategies were employed. Explore the Country Transition and Transformation paper series for our analysis of successful transformations.
The Country Transitions and Transformations series charts how regions, countries, and localities have confronted and overcome the challenges of statebuilding. The case studies explore the economic, social, and political dynamics of large-scale transformations, offering key insights into “what works” for tackling the pressing issues of today. Cases range from the making of Turkey’s modern state to state-level reform in India and Finland’s consensus-building citizenship model. View the entire series here.
ISE’s country stocktakings evaluate opportunities for reform during pivotal periods in a country’s development trajectory. Stocktakings diagnose countries’ open moments and pathways for reform by assessing the performance and capability of various state functions and citizens’ view of the state while mapping the various international partners operating in the country and the alignment of key stakeholders around a potential reform agenda. View the Country Stocktaking series here.
This note considers the application of a multi-donor trust fund (MDTF) to a possible Syrian transition. Firstly, it considers how an MDTF could act as the primary funding mechanism for short-term emergency support. Secondly, it…
Background Research Paper Submitted to the UN High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda The High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda set the key task for global development to end extreme poverty…
Governments can most successfully manage their natural resources when they understand the potential of these assets set against the larger economic, social and environmental goals of the country. They can then seek to nurture a…
Mozambique is now one of Africa’s fastest growing economies. What were the key steps in its path from Civil War, through one party state system and centrally planned socialist economy, to multiparty constitutional democracy? How…
This paper develops scenarios for possible Syrian transitions. It identifies relevant peace building lessons from the past, outlines recommendations for members of the international community and pinpoints issues for articulating and implementing a transitional agenda.…
The story of how Spain transitioned from a military dictatorship to a situational monarchy with a Parliamentary democracy is widely known. This paper scrutinizes the deeper process: how Spain developed its national institutions to build…