Governance and Politics of Public Policy in Africa

Abstract This chapter analyses the interconnections among the concepts of governance, politics and public policy and examines the political and governance issues around policy making in Africa. It explores the concepts of “public policy”, “Politics” and “governance” and their inter-relationship. It then elaborates the main features of the governance context of policy making and the formal governance institutions of policy making: the arms of government and the models and systems of government. It also describes policy roles of the party and electoral systems as frameworks of democratic governance. It explores public policy instruments and actors in the policymaking process as well as the informal dimensions of politics and public policy making.