Summary

This paper is a stocktake of LPI’s exploration around Bottom-Up Policy Engagement. The original intention was to compare and contrast experiences and insights from three different experiences that occurred in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and at the regional level, which aimed to affect Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) policy across the Horn of Africa. The hope of this stocktaking was that it might lead to a series of principles or practical guidelines to assist other programmes and practitioners more broadly. The result, however, does not pretend to hold many answers, let alone definitive truths. Rather it offers up a humble consideration of our struggles and doubts about the meaning of this type of work. We hope it will encourage others to share their journeys and thoughts on these concepts, so that broader contributions may also unearth other dimensions, shared principles, and questions to explore.