The Working Paper aims to contribute to a growing pool of experience of applying power analysis for improving social activism and organisational practice. Over the last decade, an increasing number of practitioners, researchers, NGOs, trusts and development agencies have introduced power frameworks and methods of power analysis into processes of context analysis, programme development and monitoring and evaluation.
Power has been examined and addressed in relation to a vast range of development, human rights and social justice issues from women’s empowerment to economic justice and from local governance to HIV/AIDS. Power analysis processes have taken place from the UK to Colombia and from Indonesia to Sierra Leone with much innovation in methods and approaches for introducing ways of examining power with community members, grassroots leaders, NGO staff and donors.
This Working Paper brings together in a single review documented experiences of applying power analysis for social change. The paper draws emerging lessons from this growing stream of practice by looking across the actors, organisations and methodologies involved in power analysis in a diverse range of contexts and issues.