LIST OF PANELS

Although issues of socio-economic development and lack of it in Africa have arguably been overstudied, public policy as a unique multidisciplinary field of inquiry that attempts to investigate and explain the processes, dynamics, and ramifications of what governments choose to do or not to do, has been under-researched on the continent. The neglect of public policy studies on Africa is puzzling for several reasons. First, much of what is pursued in terms of socioeconomic development in the form of ideas, ideologies, principles, and programs in the region often manifest in public policies. Second, albeit characterised by a pronounced structural dualism, modern African states are legacies of western colonialism and continue to derive their logic of relevance from attempts to reflect what happens in the western world in terms of governance. Third, Africa more than any other region in the world, has been the location of copious field work aimed at understanding the choices and impacts of decisions by national and local policy makers, as well as the activities of transnational policy actors and civil society organizations on citizens. These notwithstanding, the conventional theoretical concepts, analytical frameworks, and methodological approaches from policy scholars have hardly been applied to Africa’s governance processes.

This obvious gap raises several questions such as: why has the study of public policy been neglected or marginalized in the ever-growing interest in African studies? Is there a utility value for African countries, in the methodological approaches, analytical frameworks, and theoretical concepts derived from the study of public policy in other parts of the world? What will the study of governmental actions and inactions in Africa contribute to our understanding of challenges faced by countries on the continent, as well as the shaping of how public policy itself is studied?

In addition, there are substantive questions about the public policy processes in Africa that call for further analysis. For instance, given the multiplicity of policy actors and the obvious asymmetric power relations, as well as differences in resource capabilities, who actually make public policies in Africa? What is the nature of the interplay between the interests of actors and citizens as voters? Do public policies in Africa responds to urgent problems or simply reflect “solutions in research of problems”? In what ways do the policy processes in Africa converge or diverge from the existing notion of the policy cycle? How can we make sense of existing policies in terms of defining problems, framing and designing solutions, and instruments in the policy making process? What lessons can be drawn from studies that compare processes, choices, instruments, and designs of public policy in different African countries?

These questions are important because since Horowitz (1989) asked if there is a distinctive third world policy process, very few scholarly works have tackled the drought of policy-oriented research with respect to Africa. The questions open limitless possibilities for scholars interested in the study of public policies in African to include and integrate the various theoretical and analytical perspectives and insights from policy researchers. The panel is designed as a learning opportunity to engage scholars and researchers working on matters of public policy in Africa.

This panel is specifically interested in broad issues of policy concern in African countries. It is designed with the primary objective of understanding public policy in Africa and how various theories and analytical frameworks can be utilized or not in understanding how policies are made. In so doing, the panel attempts to answer Horowitz’s question as it applies to Africa.

The panel chairs are interested in both empirical and theoretical insights and innovations of public policy cases built around but not limited to comparative policy analysis, concerns about policy processes, policy agenda setting, framing and problem definition, the interface between politics and public policy making, the role of actors, ideas, institutions, and interests, and state capacity and policy making, utilizing the various public policy theories, analytical, and methodological approaches.

Mindful of the interdisciplinary nature of public policy, the panel considers aspects of history, governance, economics, sociology, psychology, law, and the natural sciences as components of public policy theory development, and welcomes rigorous methodological, conceptual, and theoretical analyses that focus on but not limited to any of the following broad policy areas: education; healthcare; water resources; housing; land & agriculture; mining; trade; industrialization, pensions; labour market; financial; natural resource; climate change; etc.