Advisory that fits the place it serves
We work with governments, institutions and organisations navigating complex economic and policy environments, bringing together research, market intelligence and institutional strategy to build approaches that fit the contexts in which they operate.
Research · Strategy · Convening
We build policy that fits the place it is meant to serve.
Thirteen53 is a research and strategy advisory practice working across trade, policy and institutional change. We help governments, institutions and organisations understand changing economic and policy environments, identify opportunities and make better strategic decisions. Our work combines market and policy intelligence, political economy analysis, institutional strategy and programme design — moving from understanding the problem to determining what to do about it.
Who we work with
Businesses & Industry
Market intelligence, policy and regulatory environments, international growth and strategic partnerships.
Public Institutions
Policy, trade, economic development and institutional reform.
International & Development Institutions
Research, strategy, programme design and political-economy insight.
Research & Knowledge Institutions
Strategic research, policy analysis and cross-regional collaboration.
Services
Trade & Market Advisory
Where are the opportunities, and how do we navigate them?
Market intelligence · Policy & regulatory analysis · Market entry · Trade strategy
Explore the service →Research & Policy Advisory
What is changing, why does it matter, and what should we do?
Political economy · Policy analysis · Strategic research · Decision support
Explore the service →Institutional Strategy
What needs to be in place to turn strategy into action?
Institutional design · Governance · Partnerships · Implementation
Explore the service →Convening & Dialogue
Who needs to be at the table, and how do we move towards action?
Strategic dialogue · Facilitation · Roundtables · Partnership building
Explore the service →Advisory briefs
What is changing, and why it matters now.
Trade
Market Access Is Being Reset, One Measure at a Time
United States tariff measures affecting the Caribbean have changed repeatedly over the past year, and CARICOM is reviewing its own external tariffs at the same time. Exporters and investors are working in a moving rulebook, not a settled one.
Climate finance
Grants, Not Debt: The Test Awaiting Island States at COP31
COP31 opens on 9 November in Antalya. For island states, the question is less how much is pledged than whether it arrives as grants, arrives quickly and arrives in a form their institutions can absorb.
Regional governance
Integration Is a Delivery Problem
CARICOM's Secretary-General now describes integration as a strategic development platform, while a former prime minister warns that slow institutional reform is holding the bloc back. For anyone working through regional institutions, the gap between agreement and implementation is the risk to price in.
Our method
Generative Fit®: strategy made from where we stand.
Generative Fit® is our proprietary approach for assessing whether a policy or initiative fits the historical, institutional and economic context in which it will operate. It is our first step to developing approaches that are grounded, practical and built to work.
Historical fit
How the present situation was produced, and what earlier interventions have produced that we can learned from.
Institutional fit
How formal authority, informal practice, incentives, capacity and implementation conditions will shape outcomes.
Lived fit
Whether the initiative makes sense from the view point of the people expected to use, deliver or live with it.
The fit profile
An assessment of alignments, tensions and evidence gaps that informs decisions about what to pursue, adapt or investigate further to achieve a stronger fit with your context.