This Handbook provides an authoritative and foundational disciplinary overview of African Public Policy and a comprehensive examination of the practicalities of policy analysis, policymaking processes, implementation, and administration in Africa today. The book assembles a multidisciplinary team of distinguished and upcoming Africanist scholars, practitioners, researchers and policy experts working inside and outside Africa to analyse the historical and emerging policy issues in 21st-century Africa. While mostly attentive to comparative public policy in Africa, this book attempts to address some of the following pertinent questions: How can public policy be understood and taught in Africa? How does policymaking occur in unstable political contexts, or in states under pressure? Has the democratisation of governing systems improved policy processes in Africa? How have recent transformations, such as technological proliferation in Africa, impacted public policy processes? What are the underlying challenges and potential policy paths for Africa going forward? The contributions examine an interplay of prevailing institutional, political, structural challenges and opportunities for policy effectiveness to discern striking commonalities and trajectories across different African states. This is a valuable resource for practitioners, politicians, researchers, university students, and academics interested in studying and understanding how African countries are governed.

Table of Contents:
1. A Public Policy Approach to Governance in Africa Part I: Research, Theory and Teaching African Public Policy 2. The Social Science Foundations of Public Policy in Africa 3. Researching and Teaching Public Policy and Governance in Africa 4. Theorising Public Policy in Africa 5. Public Authority in Africa 6. The Institutional Logics Perspective and Policymaking in Africa 7. Pockets Of Effectiveness (POE) in Africa Part II: Understanding Policy Framing in Africa 8. Policy Images in Africa 9. Reflections on the Political Economy of Public Policy Analysis in Africa 10. The Role and Impact of International Bureaucrats in Policymaking in Africa 11. Traditional Chiefs as Institutional Entrepreneurs in Policymaking and Implementation in Africa 12. Public Participation and Policymaking in Local Governance in Africa 13. Framing Political Policy Communications in Africa 14. Policy Evaluation in Africa Part III: Understanding Policymaking in Africa 15. Public Policymaking in Africa 16. Historical Perspectives of Policymaking and Administration in Africa 17. The Media and Policymaking in Africa Part IV: Understanding Policy Reforms in Africa 18. Public-Private Partnership and Public Policy in Africa 19. Rationales for and Policy Implications of Implementing Semi‐Autonomous Revenue Authorities in Sub-Saharan Africa 20. Evolution and Change of Communication Policy in Postcolonial Africa 21. Multiculturalism and Policymaking in Africa Part V: Understanding Politics and Public Policy in Africa 22. The Politics of Public Policy in Africa 23. Political Parties, Political Change and Public Policy in Africa 24. Political Transition, Policy Change and Implementation in Zambia 25. Executive Policymaking During National Crisis 26. Political Leadership and Public Policy in Africa 27. Public Policy and Election Administration in Africa Part VI: Policy Implementation Outcomes in Africa: Country Studies 28. Democratizing Policy Implementation in Africa 29. Competing Interests and Lack of Policy Ownership of the Reform Agenda 30. Public Policy in Cameroon 31. The Politics of Decentralisation 32. Indigenization Policy in the Extractive Sector in Zimbabwe 33. Policy Learning and Policy Failure in Africa Part VII: Implementing Education Policies in Africa 34. Investing in the People? 35. Public-Private Partnerships as Predictors of Success 36. Policy Issues in the Harmonisation of Quality Assurance Systems for Higher Education in Africa Part VIII: Understanding Health Policies and Disease Control in Africa 37. Control Programmes for Africa's Parasites 38. Between Marketization and Public Interest Discourses in Health Policy Delivery 39. Policy Responses to Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa 40. Confronting Epidemics Part IX: Understanding Food Security And Social Protection Policies 41. Food and Nutrition Security Policies in Africa 42. Public Policy and Social Protection in Africa 43. A Genealogy of Policies on Poor and Vulnerable Children and Youth in Kenya Part X: Understanding Women, Gender and Public Policy in Africa 44. Women in Policymaking in Africa 45. Gender Mainstreaming in Africa 46. Women and Social Policies in South Africa and Sierra Leone 47. Women Legislators in Legislative Policymaking in Africa Part XI: Understanding Crisis Management, Migration and Regional Trade 48. Public Policy and Disaster Management 49. Migration Frameworks in Africa 50. Evolution of Trade Policy and Regional Integration in Africa Part XII: Understanding Emerging Policy Issues And Challenges In Africa 51. Open Innovation Systems and Public Policy in Africa 52. Africa’s New Megacities 53. Environmental Policies in Africa 54. Petroleum Extraction in Africa 55. The Unintended Industrial Policy Benefits of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Africa