Mr. Teferi Tiyaru, Vice Director General of the Ethiopian Policy Studies Institute (PSI)
By Mekonnen Teshome
Despite the recent prevailing national efforts in formulating research-based policies in Ethiopia, there have been huge drawbacks in adopting researches for policy process.
Ethiopian policy experts say devising research-based policies is imperative to entertain public development concerns and aspirations.
Bayelign Zemedagegnehu (Ph.D.), a lecturer and senior researcher at the Kotebe Metropolitan University, Addis Ababa, pointed out that most policies have been formulated in the country considering the development ambitions of political leaders not bearing in mind the social, economic and political setbacks of the people.
“Policy making processes have never engaged the people in the grass root, mostly formulated in up-bottom approaches and as a result they are successful,” Bayelign says.
“I don’t see our national policies devised and implemented in line with the four basic processes of policy making - agenda creation, formulation, implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation.”
However, Bayelign explains, public participation is very critical in the policy agenda creation and a policy process would not be successful if it does not engage the public who are the end users and not research-based.
Therefore, governments should get policy making right at all levels of agenda creation, formulation, and implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation, Bayelign added.
Besides, policy decision-making by its nature involves multiple contested interests, making it difficult to achieve agreement on which policy problems and policy outcomes should be prioritized. Therefore, genuine discussions and concentration among all stakeholders are decisive throughout policy processes.
Article 43 of Ethiopia’s constitution also clearly states that the people have the right to participate in national development and to be consulted with respect to policies and reject projects affecting their community.
Nevertheless, a recent study related to Ethiopian policy formulation entitled: “Integrated Regional Development Policy Formulation in Ethiopia” and published by the Canadian Center of Science and Education states: “The political roles and ideology of the ruling party shaped the policymaking process, in which its ideas and interests prevailed and intertwined with the policies and structures of government both at federal and regional levels.”
However, policymaking processes are expected to be systematic, inclusive and that follow the acceptable policymaking stages and process including identifying the problems, analyzing the problems and evidences, setting the priorities based on evidences, formulating draft policies, consulting the key stakeholders to test the draft policy, reviewing, formulating and implementing the policy.
In line with this, concerned public institutions are now saying that they are exerting maximum efforts to make use of researches while devising various policies in Ethiopia.
Mr. Teferi Tiyaru, Vice Director General of the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) , a policy think tank established in November 2018 by the Ethiopian government, and Head of Economic Sector Policy Study Center of the institute indicated that his and institution is working hard in making policies research-based scientific.
According to the Vice Director General, current national policies in Ethiopia could be initiated by governmental bodies, policy research institutes as well as prominent scholars and researchers and based on scientific researches and analysis.
“However, it does not mean that all policies should be formulated after conducting intensive researches, because some social problems are clear and present and policies are devised to address those challenges,” Teferi said.
He pointed out that recently his institute, PSI, and the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MIT) have joined hands for the study and realizing of technology development and policy formulation initiative.
These partners are now able to frame comprehensive policy guidelines as inputs for policy making processes of the country. Various policy advices were also set by them following a rigorous policy consultation on “Development of Technology Transfer in Manufacturing Industry and its Challenges, Opportunities and Policy Options”
The policy experts gave their recommendations acknowledging that Ethiopia’s policy on technology transfer and its strategy of implementation has various drawbacks to attaining the intended purpose.
Mr. Yared Tesfay, an independent policy advisor, underlined the vitality of research inputs for public policy making.
Yared says that together with his fellow Ethiopian policy experts, he is now busy these days in policy consultations with the public and offering consultancy services towards backing policy making with relevant researches.
“Although the majority of previous policy making efforts were initiated by the government and were not research-based, encouraging efforts are now well in progress ensuring evidence-based policy making in Ethiopia,” he added.
Ethiopia’s Policy Studies Institute (PSI) was established in November 2018 by the Ethiopian government by merging two state-owned think tanks in Ethiopia, Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI) and Policy Study and Research Centre (PSRC) and endeavoring to assist the country make its policies research-based.
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