African academies of science as science advisers: The case of South Africa and Uganda

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dc.contributor.advisorBoshoff, Neliusen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorNgila, Dorothy Mutheuen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Centre for Research and Technology (CREST)en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2022-11-15T06:03:22Z
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-16T12:53:13Z
dc.date.available2022-11-15T06:03:22Z
dc.date.available2023-01-16T12:53:13Z
dc.date.issued2022-12
dc.descriptionThesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: In recent decades, science advising – the process that makes scientific evidence available to policy makers to aid decision making – has gained prominence. The prominence has been accompanied by a greater understanding of the types of advisers, the type of advice, the structuring of science advisory ecosystems in national and trans-boundary contexts, the principles of science advising, as well as the challenges and perspectives at the science-policy interface. Although there is growing scholarly contribution on the nature of science advising globally, the literature in the context of Africa is scant. Academies of science – defined as associations of scientists who come together to advance scientific excellence and serve their nations – can be largely categorised using three archetypes: the learned society, the adviser to society, and the manager of research. Increasingly, most academies have incorporated science advice as one of their mandates. They form an integral part of the science advisory ecosystem and provide formal science advice. Scholarly contributions on the nature and structure of science advising by academies of science do exist, primarily in Western nations. However, science advising by academies of science in Africa, where there are approximately 31 national academies, has not been widely documented. This study investigated the role of African academies as science advisers, with the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and the Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) as institutional case studies. The study employed a qualitative embedded case study design with ASSAf and UNAS as the institutional case studies. Additionally, three embedded case studies that represented a type of science advisory mechanism by both academies, known as a consensus study, were selected to investigate the approaches of science advice and document pathways towards uptake. Documentary analysis and interviews were the main data collection methods. The study approached this investigation in four ways: (1) a discussion of the broader global context of academies of science, tracing the diverse types, roles, and structures of academies of science with a specific focus on what the study refers to as ‘parent academies’ (Royal Society of London, Academie des Sciences, the US National Academy of Sciences, and the Russian Academy of Sciences); (2) an analysis of ASSAf and UNAS as organisations and the external and internal factors that shape their institutional designs; (3) an analysis of two consensus studies that the academies had undertaken nationally and one consensus study where both had participated, all to understand the science advisory process and pathways towards uptake of science advice; and (4) a thematic interpretive discussion of the roles, institutional designs, and positioning of UNAS and ASSAf as science advisers within their national contexts. Six key themes emerged as findings from the study: (1) UNAS and ASSAf can be considered as ‘hidden’ organisations in the science advisory ecosystems of Uganda and South Africa; (2) both academies can be considered as agents to multiple principals; (3) both academies overstate the role of their Membership and Fellowship in their science advisory activities (in fact, there emerges other actors in executing these activities, together referred to as the ecosystem of human capabilities); (4) this ecosystem of human capabilities comes together to execute the process of science advising, which falls within the realm of formal science advising for academies of science, shaped by layered degrees of informality; (5) the consensus study process is a space for the ‘construction’ of various academy-stakeholder interactions that have the potential to be productive; and (6) a significant weakness in the internal organisation of dissemination, translation, and uptake activities at ASSAf and UNAS have impacted the potential for uptake of their consensus studies by decision makers. The study recommends the following for both ASSAf and UNAS: (1) guided by a deliberate stakeholder engagement strategy, they should invest in a concerted awareness raising, with a focus on target actors in the policy and scientific communities; (2) they should continue to harness the power and influence of the human capabilities’ ecosystem that enables science advising; (3) they should invest in review processes that further deepen the value of consensus studies; and (4) they should invest in deliberate dissemination, translation, and uptake activities to enhance the potential for uptake of advisory recommendations.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Wetenskapadvies, of die proses wat wetenskaplike bewyse aan beleidmakers beskikbaar stel om besluitneming te ondersteun, het in onlangse dekades prominensie gekry. Die prominensie het gepaard gegaan met groter begrip van die tipes adviseurs, die tipes advies, die strukturering van wetenskapadvies-ekosisteme in nasionale en grensoorskryende kontekste, die beginsels van wetenskapadvies, sowel as die uitdagings en perspektiewe ter sprake by die koppelvlak van wetenskap en beleid. Alhoewel daar ’n groeiende wetenskaplike bydrae oor die aard van wetenskapadvies wereldwyd is, is die literatuur in die konteks van Afrika beperk. Wetenskapakademies – gedefinieer as assosiasies van wetenskaplikes wat saamkom om wetenskaplike uitnemendheid te bevorder en hul samelewing te dien – kan grootliks gekategoriseer word deur drie argetipes te gebruik: die geleerde assosiasie, die adviseur vir die samelewing en die bestuurder van navorsing. Die meeste akademies het toenemend wetenskapadvies as een van hul mandate ingesluit. Sodanige akademies vorm ’n integrale deel van die wetenskapadvies-ekosisteem en verskaf formele wetenskaplike advies. Wetenskaplike bydraes oor die aard en struktuur van wetenskapadvies deur wetenskapakademies, hoofsaaklik in Westerse nasies, bestaan wel. Wetenskapadvies deur wetenskapakademies in Afrika, waar daar ongeveer 31 nasionale akademies is, is egter nie wyd gedokumenteer nie. Hierdie studie het die rol van Afrika-akademies as wetenskapadviseurs ondersoek, met die Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) en die Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) as institusionele gevallestudies. Die studie het ’n kwalitatiewe ingebedde gevallestudie-ontwerp gebruik met ASSAf en UNAS as die institusionele gevallestudies. Daarbenewens is drie ingebedde gevallestudies wat ’n tipe wetenskapadviesmeganisme by beide akademies verteenwoordig, naamlik ’n konsensusstudie, gekies om die benaderings van wetenskapadvies te ondersoek en paaie na opname en gebruik te dokumenteer. Dokumentere ontleding en onderhoude was die belangrikste data-insamelingsmetodes. Die studie het vier benaderings gevolg: (1) ’n bespreking van die breer globale konteks van akademies van wetenskap, wat die uiteenlopende tipes, rolle en strukture van wetenskapakademies naspeur met ’n spesifieke klem op wat die studie na verwys as ‘ouerakademies’ (Royal Society of Londen, Academie des Sciences, die US National Academy of Sciences, en die Russian Academy of Sciences); (2) ’n ontleding van ASSAf en UNAS as organisasies en die eksterne en interne faktore wat hul institusionele ontwerpe vorm; (3) ’n ontleding van twee konsensusstudies wat die akademies nasionaal onderneem het asook ’n derde konsensusstudie waar albei akademies deelgeneem het, met die doel om die wetenskapadviesproses en paaie na die aanvaarding van wetenskapadvies te verstaan; en (4) ’n tematiese interpreterende bespreking van die rolle, institusionele ontwerpe en posisionering van UNAS en ASSAf as wetenskapadviseurs binne hul nasionale kontekste. Ses sleuteltemas het as bevindinge uit die studie na vore gekom: (1) UNAS en ASSAf blyk verskuilde organisasies in die wetenskapadvies-ekosisteme van Uganda en Suid-Afrika te wees; (2) beide akademies kan as agente vir veelvuldige prinsipale beskou word; (3) beide akademies oorbeklemtoon die rol van hulle lidmaatskap en genootskap in hul wetenskapadviesaktiwiteite (trouens, daar kom ander rolspelers na vore in die uitvoering van hierdie aktiwiteite, waarna gesamentlik verwys kan word as die ekosisteem van menslike vermoens); (4) hierdie ekosisteem van menslike vermoens kom bymekaar in die uitvoering van die proses van wetenskapadvies, wat val in die gebied van formele wetenskapadvies vir wetenskapakademies, gevorm deur verskillende lae en grade van informaliteit; (5) die konsensusstudieproses is ’n ruimte vir die ‘konstruksie’ van verskeie akademie-belanghebbende-interaksies wat die potensiaal het om produktief te word; en (6) ’n beduidende swakheid in hoe die verspreiding, vertaling en opname van aktiwiteite by ASSAf en UNAS intern georganiseer word, het die potensiaal om die opname van konsensusstudies deur besluitnemers beinvloed. Die studie beveel die volgende aan vir beide ASSAf en UNAS: (1) dat hulle, gelei deur ’n doelbewuste belanghebbende-betrokkenheidstrategie, moet bele in ’n gesamentlike bewusmaking, met ’n fokus op teikengehore in die beleid- en wetenskaplike gemeenskappe; (2) moet voortgaan om die krag en invloed van die menslike vermoens-ekosisteem te benut wat wetenskapsadvies moontlik maak; (3) moet bele in hersieningsprosesse wat die waarde van konsensusstudies verder verdiep; en (4) moet bele in doelbewuste verspreiding-, vertaling- en opname-aktiwiteite om die potensiaal vir die opname van adviserende aanbevelings te verbeter.af_ZA
dc.description.versionDoctoralen_ZA
dc.format.extentxxii, 408 pages : illustrationsen_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126161
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subjectScience consultantsen_ZA
dc.subjectScience policyen_ZA
dc.subjectScience and stateen_ZA
dc.subjectUganda National Academy of Sciencesen_ZA
dc.subjectAcademy of Science of South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectUCTD
dc.titleAfrican academies of science as science advisers: The case of South Africa and Ugandaen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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