At the onset of the Guatemala Urban Municipal Governance (UMG) Project, Tetra Tech subcontracted the services of local organization Asociación de Investigación y Estudios Sociales (ASIES) to implement a Political Economy Assessment (PEA). The purpose of the PEA is to improve understanding of the political and economic environment in which the project operates.1 The PEA helps development practitioners understand the national and municipal-level political and economic environment that affects how municipalities perform as well as factors that influence the ability of municipalities to deliver services and meet the needs of citizens within the context of violence prevention.

The UMG project will use the data gathered during the assessment to inform programming designed to strengthen municipal financial and administrative capacities. This is intended to improve the provision of public services, increase citizen engagement and outreach, and help to reduce violence in marginalized urban communities.