Systems Practice in International Development

About Systems Practice in International Development

The podcast ”Systems Practice in International Development” is produced by the Portfolio MEL (PMEL) programme in Nepal, funded by the British Embassy Kathmandu and implemented by Abt Global. Please note, the views expressed through this podcast reflect those of the hosts and guests only. We talk about systems practice through an action-oriented lens and see what has and has not worked in practice. The episodes will debunk complexities around systems thinking, portfolio approaches, adaptive management, PEA in action and evidence use for impact. In short, some of the deceptively simple or surprisingly complex approaches used today in our sector. We will be speaking with global experts and consciously trying to represent the Global South expertise adequately.

Publisher

Abt Global Britain Podcasts

Category

government

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Oct 2024

Latest episode

6 May 2025

Latest episodes

10 of 10 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   6 May 2025TRANSCRIPT

   From Theory to Practice: How PMEL Nepal Strengthens a Portfolio Approach to Aid Delivery for FCDO

   Tara Bajracharya and Ankeeta Shreshta discuss PMEL Nepal's five-year pilot program with Alexandra Nastase, exploring how a portfolio learning function enhances strategic thinking and coherent action within bureaucracy in this interview.

2. 

   1 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT

   From Being Influential to Useful – The Evolving Role of Think Tanks

   Enrique Mendizabal, Founder and Executive Director of On Think Tanks, discusses the evolving role of think tanks in shaping policy and balancing independence with industry experts in this interview.

3. 

   24 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

   From Insights to Implementation: Applying Political Economy Analysis (PEA) for Real World Impact

   Welcome to Episode 7 of Systems Practice in International Development. Our guest is Pallavi Roy, Professor of Political Economy at SOAS University of London. In this episode, we have a frank conversation about Political Economy Analyses (PEAs) in the international development sector today. PEAs have come some way, but there’s still a long way to go – and we delve into the balance between what is good enough and how to effectively apply it. This episode’s guest: Pallavi Roy i...

4. 

   4 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

   From Learning to Adaptation: Lessons Learned from Adaptive Programming and Use of Strategy Testing. A conversation with The Asia Foundation (Part 2)

   Welcome to Episode 6 of Systems Practice in International Development. This is episode 2 of a 2-part series with guests from The Asia Foundation, Nicola Nixon (Senior Director of Governance) and Gopa Kumar Thampi (Senior Governance Advisor at The Asia Foundation in Sri Lanka). In this episode, we zoom into the practical experiences in adaptive programming. We discuss learning from failure to the type of teams required to deliver this work, use of evidence for decision making and adapta...

5. 

   28 Jan 2025TRANSCRIPT

   From Learning to Adaptation: Lessons Learned from Adaptive Programming and Use of Strategy Testing. A conversation with The Asia Foundation (Part 1)

   Welcome to Episode 5 of Systems Practice in International Development. This is episode 1 of a 2-part series with guests from The Asia Foundation, Nicola Nixon (Senior Director of Governance) and Gopa Kumar Thampi (Senior Governance Advisor at The Asia Foundation in Sri Lanka).We discuss the state of adaptive programming in our sector today, their newly launched strategy testing workbook, lessons learned from ten years of implementing adaptive programming across geographies and technical secto...

6. 

   19 Dec 2024TRANSCRIPT

   From Systems Thinking to Practice: How USAID is Embracing Humility and Relationships to Do Aid Differently (Part 2)

   USAID's Susan McKay and Andrew Furey share insights on how embracing humility and relationships can revolutionize the way international aid is delivered, leading to more effective and sustainable development outcomes.

7. 

   17 Dec 2024TRANSCRIPT

   From Systems Thinking to Practice: How USAID is Embracing Humility and Relationships to Do Aid Differently (Part 1)

   System work is not about solutions; it’s about discovering and steering local pathways for change at a pace appropriate for our ability to learn and for what local communities can enact and absorb.” - Stanford Social Innovation ReviewThis quote perfectly sets the tone for part one of our two-part series on USAID's Local Systems Position Paper. This paper isn’t just another framework—it’s a bold vision for reimagining development by prioritizing local actors within the system and locally-led s...

8. 

   27 Nov 2024TRANSCRIPT

   From Projects to Portfolios: How FCDO is Shaping Collective Learning and Coherence (Part 2)

   Dr. Craig Irwin and Dr. Federica Di Battista share insights on scaling collective learning and coherence in international development, leveraging systems practice and portfolio approaches.

9. 

   21 Nov 2024TRANSCRIPT

   From Projects to Portfolios: How FCDO is Shaping Collective Learning and Coherence (Part 1)

   FCDO's Portfolio Monitoring Evaluation and Learning team, led by industry experts, shares how their portfolio approach leverages collective learning to maximize impact in international development.

10. 

    15 Oct 2024TRANSCRIPT

    Coming soon: Systems Practice in International Development

    Systems Practice in International Development

Inside a recent episode

From Theory to Practice: How PMEL Nepal Strengthens a Portfolio Approach to Aid Delivery for FCDO

Published 6 May 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Um, you know, from the very beginning, PML was designed as an independent learning function for the office, was not only generating portfolio evidence, but was also in a position to challenge the office, challenge their assumptions and co -create solutions with them, right? […]

Who has been a guest on Systems Practice in International Development

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Tara Bajracharya
• Ankeeta Shreshta
• Alexandra Nastase
• Enrique Mendizabal
• USAID colleagues

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

967,384

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Podcast Authority Score: 38 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

23

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

50

Contact Systems Practice in International Development

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.