Chair, PEP Board of Directors
Having completed my first year as the Chair of the PEP Board of Directors, I am very pleased by the work PEP has undertaken in the past year to amplify the voices of researchers from the Global South.
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Executive Director, PEP
I am proud of what PEP accomplished in 2023. We have made major strides in demonstrating that local researchers are able to conduct rigorous, policy-engaged and policy-relevant research, that is firmly grounded in their thorough understanding of local context and policy frameworks.
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Our partnership with PEP on ‘What Works for Youth Employment in Africa: A Review of Existing Policies and Empirical Analysis’ continues to generate valuable insights on youth employment policies and programs. The research findings are helping to inform national policies, legislative developments, and programmatic choices in multiple countries, strengthening efforts to create more opportunities for young people.
PEP’s research approach ensures that stakeholders—including young women, persons with disabilities, refugees, and the internally displaced—are actively involved in discussions and policy dialogues. Additionally, the approach prioritizes taking research findings back to communities.
The insights are supporting our thought leadership and deepening our commitment to enabling 30 million young women and men to access dignified and fulfilling work through our Young Africa Works strategy.” – Dr. Eunice Muthengi, Acting Senior Director, Mastercard Foundation.
Eunice Muthengi, Senior Director (Acting), Research and Learning
The Hewlett Foundation is proud to continue our partnership with PEP as they strengthen the ties between researchers and policymakers in East and West Africa. By aligning evidence generation with real policy needs and supporting policymakers to use that evidence, these collaborations are helping to shape more effective, evidence-informed policies that improve people’s lives.
Christopher Chibwana, Program officer, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
At FID, we believe that access to a fair and just healthcare system is key to fighting inequalities. We fund rigorous evaluations, and scale up innovative solutions that have proven effective and hope that this project led by PEP and Jimma University will improve the community-based health insurance system for a larger number of people in Ethiopia. We also trust that the evaluation results will effectively inform public decision-making.
Juliette Seban, Directrice Exécutive, Fonds d'Innovation pour le Développement
It has been a true pleasure to collaborate with PEP throughout 2024. On behalf of the Club of Rome and personally, I am deeply grateful for the outstanding work PEP has carried out in the context of our Earth4All initiative — always with exceptional rigour, humanity, and dedication. The quality of our joint efforts stands as a testament to what is possible when shared values and purpose align. I very much hope this collaboration will continue to grow in the years to come.
Till Kellerhoff, Program Director, The Club of Rome
The collaboration between Global Affairs Canada and PEP through the Learning Knowledge and Management Project is empowering small and medium organizations (SMOs) and their local partners. By enhancing their capacity to evaluate and improve their activities, the project promotes further progress in improving living conditions, promoting gender equality, and empowering women and girls. Through non-scientific evaluations, PEP is working with six Global Affairs-funded SMOs to drive impactful change. Additionally, LKMP's online training and mentorship in operational knowledge are equipping many more SMO projects with the technical expertise needed for rigorous monitoring and evaluation methodologies.
Stefan Paquette, Senior Project Manager, Global Affairs Canada
We are so pleased that PEP was selected as a grantee for our program on multilateral development bank reform. Thanks to the work of PEP and the local researchers it supports, we have been able to amplify voices from the Global South on critical development challenges like climate finance and debt.
Karen Mathiasan, Project Director, Centre for Global Development
Through our partnership with PEP, we are working to reshape the international financial architecture to better serve Kenya's sustainable development needs. By focusing on country-specific approaches and strengthening dialogue with local stakeholders, we aim to enhance the alignment of development finance with national strategies, ultimately driving sustainable economic transformation.
Damien Barchiche, Director, Sustainable Development Governance Program, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI)
PEP’s locally led research is making significant strides in renewable energy, agriculture, and entrepreneurship in Africa and beyond. Their work is transforming vulnerable communities and influencing climate and renewable energy policies in Africa. PEP’s commitment to gender and social inclusion ensures young people and women lead the just transition. Their engagement with policymakers is promoting female and youth-led businesses in agriculture, driving an inclusive energy transition. Further, their robust GEI online training course launched this year will make big strides in strengthening researchers’ capacity to integrate gender equality and inclusion principles in their research.
Erin Tansey, Director, Sustainable Inclusive Economies, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
A leadership voice shaping development discourse from the Global South
In 2024, we launched Southern Lens on Development, a LinkedIn newsletter by our Executive Director, Prof. Jane Mariara, designed to shape public discourse through the leadership voice of the Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP). In each monthly edition, Prof. Mariara shared key highlights from flagship projects. Read about select editions below.
In one of the earlier editions , she highlighted how unpaid childcare responsibilities and the lack of accessible, high-quality childcare services remain major barriers to women’s access to decent work in the Global South—drawing on research supported by Co-Impact across six countries. In another issue, she addressed the pressing youth employment challenge in Africa, emphasizing the need for coordinated policy action, increased investment, and stronger accountability. These insights were based on a program conducted in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, which reviewed youth employment policies and their effectiveness across 10 countries in the continent.
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Climate change was also a recurring theme. In one edition, Prof. Mariara examined how multilateral development banks can play a pivotal role in financing the green energy transition in the Global South, based on research supported by the Center for Global Development. In another, she explored policy pathways to achieving a wellbeing economy in Kenya, contributing to the Earth4All vision of building resilient and inclusive societies.
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Additionally, PEP Research Fellows and Prof. Mariara wrote op-eds on platforms like Project Syndicate and VoxDev. These included opeds on building Africa’s future through ensuring gender equality, and how Southern researchers can bridge global divides.
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of policy research
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of PEP publications
were reported in national news media
local projects supported
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website visitors per year
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local researchers trained
local projects supported
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social media followers
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local researchers trained
Evaluating measures to support young women transitioning from school to work, and tackle continued gender-based employment segregation.
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Promote sustainable changes in the target countries by implementing macroeconomic policies that promoted gender equality and empowered women.
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Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) reforms could support green transitions and financing in the Global South.
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The Club of Rome engaged PEP to lead the Earth4All national-level engagement strategy in Kenya—the first country campaign in Africa—as part of its global campaign to advocate for governments to adopt policies for a sustainable planet.
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Evaluating measures to support young women transitioning from school to work, and tackle continued gender-based employment segregation.
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Promote sustainable changes in the target countries by implementing macroeconomic policies that promoted gender equality and empowered women.
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Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) reforms could support green transitions and financing in the Global South.
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The Club of Rome engaged PEP to lead the Earth4All national-level engagement strategy in Kenya—the first country campaign in Africa—as part of its global campaign to advocate for governments to adopt policies for a sustainable planet.
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The PEP team recommended expanding daycare services and modernising parental leave to improve women’s work. Their findings informed two policy debates, contributing to 1) recommendations for an “integrated policy for early childhood”, presented to the President, and 2) a bill presented to Congress to increase paternity leave from 5 to 30 days.
Expanding daycare services and fully implementing the Wiñay Warmi program can improve women’s work according to local PEP researchers. Their findings prompted the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion to enhance Wiñay Warmi rather than terminating it, and the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion to pilot two programs to improve care services.
Local PEP researchers showed that increasing the number of teachers and daycare workers is vital for increasing public childcare and improving women’s work opportunities. The team will work with the congressman filing the bill “Magna Carta for Daycare Workers” to enhance its impacts, including through scholarships for people becoming daycare workers.
Findings by a local research team and their recommendation to move policy focus from “creating jobs” to “creating decent jobs” for women provided inputs for the 11-point proposal for labor reforms set forth by the Minister of Labour. Also, the International Finance Cooperation will use the findings to extend a daycare centre pilot program.
The local team showed how financial grants for entrepreneurs can increase youth employment and centrally coordinating existing youth employment programs can improve their efficiency. In Ekiti State, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the Ministry of Youth Affairs are keen to address the key challenges and implement the team’s findings.
Latest Developments on Localization as PEP Committedly Promotes Southern Research Leadership
For over two decades, PEP has been a strong advocate for localization in development research, working to integrate Southern perspectives into the global policy landscape. PEP believes that local researchers possess unparalleled knowledge of the challenges on the ground, of cultural contexts and have established networks they can leverage to inform and implement policy solutions effectively.
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January 26, 2024 | Berkeley, United States of America
