Political systems

Part of DFID's strategy for making government work for poor people is to build political systems that provide opportunities for all, including the poor, to organise and influence state policy and practice. This has wide implications such as ensuring equal access to information, enabling strong representation for all and establishing robust accountability structures.

Much is written on how to shape political systems so that they are effective at poverty reduction. This topic guide contains general resources on political theory as well as more practical material on the 'mechanics' or more 'administrative' aspects of political system design.

Page contents

Political finance

Political participation

Policy processes

Informal and customary political systems

Elections