This paper presents the findings of a year-long research project—‘The Politics of Research Uptake’—which contributes to the evolving discussion regarding the relationship between research and policy by considering the role of research-based evidence in African policy debates. The notion of a ‘policy debate’ in developed countries is directly associated with debates over evidence and its role in advancing political purposes, as a number of recent examples demonstrate. Applying this consideration to the African context, this paper takes a wider view of the policy process—in which policy debates are understood to be an integral part of policymaking—by examining the role of research-based evidence in four case studies on diverse policy debates in sub-Saharan Africa: • The eviction of street hawkers in Accra, Ghana; • The HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Bill, Uganda; • The introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Zambia; and • Reform of the chieftaincy, Sierra Leone. The objectives of the research are as follows: • To characterise the policy debates studied in order to provide a reference point for further work on policy debates in Africa; • To identify what affects research-based evidence use, including a consideration of different types of evidence used; and • To identify the implications for the research–policy discussion and ways to support the use of research in policy debates.
