Context Matters Science, Policy and the Lingering Effects of Colonialism

Much of the literature on how evidence translates into public policy is western centric. There has been less discussion about the applicability of evidence-informed (EIP) and evidence-based policy (EBP) in developing countries. Developing countries have distinct political and socio-cultural environments compared to industrialised nations and encounter their own distinct challenges when producing, synthesising, and integrating evidence into the policymaking process.

Recognising the unique challenges faced by developing countries when producing research and adopting evidence-based practices is essential - especially considering industrialised countries have been advocating for developing countries to adopt EIP to meet targets outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.1

During periods of European colonisation, Western science was used as a tool to promote superiority over alternate systems of knowledge

COLONIALISM CONTINUES TO INFLUENCE THE POLICY MAKING PROCESS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Yet it cannot be assumed that the application of “western” norms in EIP can simply or effectively be applied to the many developing countries, particularly those in Africa, that are still recovering from the political, social, and economic impacts of colonialism.

This article discusses how neocolonialist practices have affected, and continue to affect, the ability of developing countries to make EIP a common practice. The politicisation of global research and how the monopolisation of this research by industrialised nations adds another barrier to integrating EIP for developing countries. Contrasting the South African governments’ response to the AIDS epidemic with their response to the current Covid pandemic, this article highlights how colonialism continues to influence the policy making process in developing countries.

Colonialism and the politicisation of ‘science’

Considering the scale of European imperialism and the continent’s centrality to the modern development of science and