Mapping Public Policy Research In Egypt

Integrity recently completed a mapping of the public policy research sector in Egypt for Oxfam Novib. Team members Andrew Cleary, Tristan Salmon and Nahla Hassan interviewed key research organisations and Oxfam’s partners, mainly community service organisations (CSOs), to understand how research is commissioned, produced and used to inform public policy decisions in the country.

Integrity’s team identified several notable dynamics in the public policy research sector in Egypt. Among the most notable are:

• Significant research capacity exists in the country, but research organisations and CSOs rarely work together or engage in commercial relations. This results in a significant gap, where knowledge is left unshared and very little dialogue exists between CSOs and research organisations.
• On both the supply and demand sides, the procurement and contracting interface between organisations is often under-capacitated and poorly understood.
• Research is constrained by under-qualified capacity in rural areas, a widespread absence of taught research methodology in universities and some difficulties in conducting quantitative research.
• Organisations noted a strengthened capacity to effectively engage with research partners would significantly assist them in leveraging necessary research products and services.

The research process involved the development of tailored research tools, which were used by the Integrity team to engage relevant individuals and organisations in in-depth interviews on their research outputs, capacities and requirements.

Our team looks forward to continuing our work with Oxfam Novib, their partners, and our fellow research organisations in Egypt in building capacity and enhancing linkages across the sector.