TITLE:
The Impact of the Resurgence of Consultants on the Role of the Universities in Public Policy Research
AUTHORS:
Joseph Obosi
KEYWORDS:
Consultants, Public Policy Research, Public Universities, Policy Making Process
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.11 No.8,
August
3,
2023
ABSTRACT: The paper has investigated the impact which the resurgence of consultants
has had on the role of the universities in Public policy research. The
assumption was that the involvement of private consultants at the expense of
the university faculty in the policy process has interfered with the very
reason why the research institutes especially at the public universities were
created. Using a comparative analysis, we carried out an interview of 13
consultants drawn from public universities in East and West Africa based on the
trend of the public policy research done by consultants either as private
consultants or as a member of university team. The study established that the
resurgence of the consultants in the public policy making has compromised the
role of public universities in public policy research to the extent that more
public policy researches are done by private consultants at the expense of public
institutions/universities.