Protocol for conducting a policy and institutional assessment for the implementation of participatory guarantee systems

Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGSs) are gaining relevance as third-party certification schemes face growing criticism related to high costs, limited accessibility for smallholders, market exclusion, and insufficient impacts on environmental sustainability and social equity. However, the implementation of PGSs remains constrained by institutional and policy bottlenecks, including weak coordination among actors and misalignment between formal regulations and local practices. This protocol addresses these challenges by analyzing how institutional arrangements—particularly those related to gender, youth, ethnicity, and social inclusion—influence the local rollout of PGSs. Building on the Political Economy and Political Analysis (PEPA) framework, the protocol provides a multilevel analytical approach to generate policy-relevant recommendations that support inclusive, agroecological food system transformation.