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Political Economy Analysis Consultant, Tripoli, Libya

Democracy International (DI) is seeking to hire a short-term Political Economy Analysis Consultant to support the Engagement with Voters for Equitable Representation (EVER) Project in Libya. The Libya EVER activity is a five-year program to support Libya’s democratic transition by enhancing the effectiveness of key Libyan institutions and empowering diverse Libyan actors to foster an inclusive democratic culture. DI is conducting an issue/problem-driven PEA during the program’s initial Refine and Implementation (R&I) stage to examine political, economic, and social dynamics, such as stakeholder motivations and opportunities for reform that may enable or constrain progress. The PEA will provide necessary insights to shape project activities and serve as a foundation for strategic stakeholder engagement across both project objectives: (1) strengthening Libya’s election institutions and government stakeholders to carry out credible electoral and political processes at the local and national levels and (2) empower the diversity of Libya’s citizens and civil society to advance the democratic process in Libya.

This document outlines the Scope of Work (SOW) for a consultant to lead the completion of a Political Economy Analysis (PEA) for the Libya Engagement with Voters for Equitable Representation (EVER) project, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Democracy International (DI). This SOW provides background information about the PEA and describes vital tasks, deliverables, timeline, qualifications for conducting this PEA, and estimated level of effort to perform this analysis.

The PEA is intended to provide a context-sensitive, politically informed analysis of the factors affecting Libya’s election institutions and related government stakeholders’ ability to carry out credible electoral and political processes and how long-term structural factors, formal and informal rules and norms, and current contextual circumstances interact to shape citizen and civil society’s ability to participate in democratic processes and influence change. Among other lines of inquiry, the PEA will provide a deeper understanding of the geopolitical dynamics driving actors engaged in the democratic transition at the local, regional, and national levels, identify and explain the formal and informal power structures and actors deemed credible within the system and their roles in political transition; illuminate the formal and informal rules that shape and motivate interactions between elected officials, government administrators, and Libyan people; and identify opportunities for engaging stakeholders in relatively inaccessible areas of the country in civic and electoral processes. EVER will use the findings of this PEA to inform its program activities, sharpen its collaborating, learning, and adapting processes, and develop recommendations for the project’s engagement with the HNEC, other government stakeholders, and political actors at the national and local levels, civil society, and citizens in Libya’s current political environment.

EVER stakeholders recognize that this PEA is being conducted in an extremely politically sensitive environment where some forms of civic engagement pose safety and security risks. The consultant should be sensitive to the potential risks associated with discussing sensitive topics like governance issues and the protection of civic space in the current environment, as well as the fact that there is a high level of distrust of government bodies and institutions. In developing the research methodology, the consultant should integrate do-no-harm considerations across data collection and data analysis protocols, ensuring that the current context informs how the research team engages potential key informants, collects data, and speaks about the topics outlined in this document.

• Task 1: Conduct Desk Review: Conduct a desk review of USAID guidance on political economy analysis and relevant academic papers, reports, project documents, and program evaluations from funders, think tanks, international organizations, implementing partners, Libyan-based organizations, and other analyses. This will inform the Inception Report, including the research methodology and associated tools.
• Task 2: Design Research Methodology: Develop research questions, data collection tools, and the fieldwork plan for the research team to complete data collection and analysis.
• Task 3: Conduct Field-based Data Collection: Lead field-based data collection according to the methodology finalized in the inception report and work plan. It is anticipated that data collection will be conducted in multiple locations in Tunisia and Libya, depending on the location of key stakeholders and security considerations.
• Task 4: Conduct Data Analysis: Analyze data to inform key findings across research questions and political economy problem/issue level domains.
• Task 5: Develop Key Recommendations, Produce an Analysis Report and Presentation of Findings: Prepare a comprehensive report detailing the analysis and findings. Revise the report based on feedback from the activity team. The final findings and recommendations should reflect the issue/problem-specific nature of the PEA to ensure utility by the project. They should also reflect on the analysis of power dynamics, informal rules of the game, and the formal and informal institutions that shape the quality of elections and political processes and influence actors’ behavior, incentives, relationships, and capacity for collective action. Provide actionable recommendations to inform the design of EVER Activity interventions. Present findings and recommendations to stakeholders through workshop(s) or presentations.

• Inception Report including the summary of main desk research findings; a research methodology, including research questions and data collection tools and protocols/interview guides; proposed stakeholder interview list; and field-work plan based on the proposed methodology.
• Post-data collection interview notes, meetings schedule, information gathered from roundtable discussions, etc.
• Draft Report including an executive summary, introduction, methodology, rationale for the assessment, findings, and findings-based recommendations.
• Final Report in English. The report should incorporate the feedback received from the Project team (and other relevant stakeholders they may invite to comment).
• Stakeholder presentation to discuss key findings and proposed actions

Tasks	Estimated Level of Effort
Task 1 & 2	8 days
Tasks 3	8 days
Task 4 & 5	6 days