Parliament, participation and policymaking

This webinar is part of a series aimed at sharing findings and lessons from the book entitled, Using Evidence in Policy and Practice: Lessons from Africa edited by Ian Goldman and Mine Pabari. The voices of policymakers are key to the book, ensuring that the examples deployed are useful to practitioners and researchers alike.

This webinar focuses on chapter 10, entitled "Parliament and public participation in Kenya". This webinar will explore the role of Parliament in policymaking through citizen engagement and public participation, drawing on experiences from the review and enactment of Kenya’s Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2013. A central message emerging from this case is the potential role of Parliament in promoting participatory engagement processes, but that the context and the way in which the participatory process is carried out is critical to its efficacy.

During the webinar, we will share a clip from the case study video and a presentation outlining the analytical framework, the main findings, including particular contextual factors that enabled and/or hindered the use of evidence generated through the public participatory processes as well as lessons and reflections for strengthening the involvement of the wider public in policymaking in Kenya and beyond. We will open the discussion to hear and learn from participant experiences and views. Following the webinar, we will share the policy brief as well as the full video to all participants, in English and French versions.

The book asks how governments in Africa can use evidence to improve their policies and programmes, and ultimately, to achieve positive change for their citizens. Looking at different evidence sources across a range of contexts, the book brings policymakers and researchers together to uncover what does and doesn’t work and why. The book is supported by a range of policy briefs and videos intended to be both practical and critically rigorous.

The book is to be published by Routledge and expected to be in print by July 2020.