The role and impact of international bureaucrats in policymaking in Africa

Abstract

Studies on the role of international organisations in shaping global norms and the public policymaking process of developing countries have led some scholars to argue that developing countries hardly influence their policies. While the external influence in the policy process in Africa is not new, international bureaucrats’ influence in the policymaking process is under-researched. As chief policy actors in developing countries, international bureaucrats promote their countries/organisations’ values. This chapter examines factors that continue to drive international bureaucrats’ influence in public policy in Africa. It explains the issue of the externalisation of the policy process. Doing so addresses how national policies are influenced, and how to respond to such influences, develop guidelines against such influences, or better channel them to their benefit.