HNP DISCUSSION PAPER Public Disclosure Authorized POLITICAL ECONOMY ANALYSIS FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY Public Disclosure Authorized About this series... This series is produced by the Health, Nutrition, and Population Family (HNP) of the World Bank’s Human Development Network. The papers in this series aim to provide a vehicle for publishing preliminary and Michael R. Reich and Yarlini Balarajan unpolished results on HNP topics to encourage discussion and debate. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the author(s) and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. Citation and the use of material presented in this series should take into account this provisional character. For free copies of papers in this series please contact the individual authors whose name appears on the paper. Enquiries about the series and submissions should be made directly to Public Disclosure Authorized the Editor Martin Lutalo ([email protected]) or HNP Advisory Ser- vice ([email protected], tel 202 473-2256, fax 202 522-3234). For more information, see also www.worldbank.org/hnppublications. THE WORLD BANK 1818 H Street, NW Public Disclosure Authorized Washington, DC USA 20433 Telephone: 202 473 1000 Facsimile: 202 477 6391 Internet: www.worldbank.org E-mail: [email protected] December 2012 POLITICAL ECONOMY ANALYSIS FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY Michael R. Reich and Yarlini Balarajan December 2012 Health, Nutrition and Population (HNP) Discussion Paper This series is produced by the Health, Nutrition, and Population Family (HNP) of the World Bank's Human Development Network (HDN). The papers in this series aim to provide a vehicle for publishing preliminary and unpolished results on HNP topics to encourage discussion and debate. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the author(s) and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. Citation and the use of material presented in this series should take into account this provisional character. Enquiries about the series and submissions should be made directly to the Editor, Martin Lutalo ([email protected]). Submissions undergo informal peer review by selected internal reviewers and have to be cleared by the Task Team Leader's Sector Manager. The sponsoring department and author(s) bear full responsibility for the quality of the technical contents and presentation of material in the series. Since the material will be published as presented, authors should submit an electronic copy in the predefined template (available at www.worldbank.org/hnppublications on the Guide for Authors page). Drafts that do not meet minimum presentational standards may be returned to authors for more work before being accepted. For information regarding the HNP Discussion Paper Series, please contact Martin Lutalo at [email protected] or 202-522-3234 (fax). © 2011 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 All rights reserved. ii Health, Nutrition and Population (HNP) Discussion Paper Political Economy Analysis for Food and Nutrition Security Michael R. Reicha and Yarlini Balarajan,b with contributions from Ashley M. Foxc a Takemi Professor of International Health Policy, Department of Global Health & Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA b Department of Global Health & Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA c Assistant Professor, Department of Health Evidence and Policy, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY This work was commissioned by staff of the World Bank for the South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (SAFANSI). SAFANSI is supported by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the UK Department for International Development (DfID); however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect these departments’ official policies. Abstract: The overall goal of this paper is to promote the use of political economy analysis in advancing more effective food and nutrition policies. The paper reviews the field of applied political economy for the food and nutrition sector, and offers practical guidance on how to conduct political economy analysis to better navigate the policy reform process. The paper is presented in three parts. Part I reviews the literature on political economy analysis (PEA) and its application in the food and nutrition fields, focusing on the applied literature in development. Three kinds of PEA are discussed: In-depth, Stakeholder, and Rapid Assessment PEA, which serve different purposes. The paper then introduces a structured qualitative method for conducting an in-depth PEA, based on four stages of the policy cycle: agenda-setting, policy design, policy adoption, and implementation. Part II provides an illustrative case study of an in-depth PEA for a specific food and nutrition- related policy of India, the Integrated Child Development Services scheme. The analysis explains how the agenda was set and its consequences. Part III presents a newly developed tool to conduct a rapid assessment PEA for food and nutrition policy. This tool uses a questionnaire approach to evaluate the level of political commitment for food and nutrition security and opportunities for change, and can be used to monitor change in political commitment over time. This paper is intended to assist the South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (SAFANSI), along with national governments and development partners, to develop more politically feasible strategies for policy reform. The paper proposes that investing in PEA and developing capacity to conduct such analyses can help improve the effectiveness of iii the policy reform process and achieve better outcomes in the food and nutrition sector in the South Asia region and beyond. Keywords: Food and nutrition security, India, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), policy cycle, policy reform, political economy. Disclaimer: The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in the paper are entirely those of the authors, and do not represent the views of the World Bank, its Executive Directors, or the countries they represent. Correspondence Details: Michael R. Reich, Department of Global Health & Population, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 USA; Telephone: 617-432-0687; Fax: 617-432-1251; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/michael-reich/ iv Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................. viii PREFACE ......................................................................................................................... ix PART I – A REVIEW OF POLITICAL ECONOMY ANALYSIS FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY ................................................................................................ 1 By Michael R. Reich and Yarlini Balarajan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................. 1 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 2 2. HISTORY AND CONTEXT OF POLITICAL ECONOMY ANALYSIS ................................... 4 2.1 Exploring the Growth of Political Economy Analysis ...................................... 5 2.2 Promoting Applied Political Economy in Practice: DFID and the World Bank ......................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Seeking Practical Methods for Political Economy Analysis ............................ 9 3. POLITICAL ECONOMY ANALYSIS FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY ................. 11 3.1 Emerging Themes from the Political Economy Literature in Food and Nutrition Security ............................................................................................ 11 3.2 Applied Political Economy of Nutrition: Recent Studies ................................ 12 4. A METHOD FOR CONDUCTING AN IN-DEPTH POLITICAL ECONOMY ANALYSIS ........ 14 PART II: AN ILLUSTRATIVE CASE STUDY: A POLITICAL ECONOMY ANALYSIS OF INDIA’S INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES SCHEME ......................................................................................................................... 20 By Yarlini Balarajan and Michael R. Reich EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................... 20 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 22 2. CONDUCTING A POLITICAL ECONOMY ANALYSIS.................................................... 23 2.1 Step 1: Describe the Study Objectives and Policy Context ............................. 23 2.2 Step 2: Select Stage of the Policy Cycle for Analysis ..................................... 27 2.3 Step 3: Analyze Political Dynamics to Assess Political Feasibility ............... 28 2.4 Step 4: Assess Political Strategies .................................................................. 44 3. DISCUSSION ...........................................................................................................