This programme seeks to strengthen democratic governance in Kenya and the East African Region, thereby promoting an organisation of the Kenyan society and the East African Region that are conducive to socio-economic development. The programme has concentrated on governance reforms in Kenya and in East Africa including electoral reforms, budget reforms, strengthening political parties, public transport policy, decentralisation and devolution. Specific studies have addressed public availability of budget information, legal framework for transparency in fiscal management, election violence; decentralisation and devolution to districts, Kenya’s constitutional review and reforming Kenya’s political system. Some of the remarkable studies include: Redesigning Kenya’s Political System through Shared Governance; Management and Organisation of Public Procurement in Kenya; Reforming the Political Market in Kenya Through Public Party Funding; Proposed Devolution of Governance to Districts in Kenya: a Case Study of their Capacities and Prospects; Land dispute Resolution Mechanisms in Rural Kenya To What Extent is Comprehensive National Budget Information Publicly Available in Kenya; An Assessment of Roles and Responsibilities of Central and Local Governments in the management of Public Finances in Kenya; An Assessment of the Legal Framework for Budget Transparency, Participation and Management in Kenya; Understanding Election Violence in Kenya during multiparty Politics; The 2007 Kenyan General Elections in Context; and Assessing Integrity Mechanisms in National Budgeting in Kenya.
Macro Economics Policy Analysis
The broad objective of this programme is to analyse macroeconomic policies and their implications for the economy of Kenya. To achieve this, the programme has been involved in modelling and forecasting of main macroeconomic aggregates; budget analyses and fiscal strategy; monetary policy and financial sector including, developments in the stock market; trade and commercial policy; and expenditure reviews. Some of the notable studies done by this sector with exceptional reception from stakeholders are; Equity in the allocation of Constituency Development Fund focusing on the need for an alternative allocation criteria; Effectiveness of the Industrialisation Incentive Regime in Kenya; Planning and Budgeting at the Grassroots Level using Local Authority Service Delivery Action Plans as a case study; and Kenya’s development challenge and the development of the capital market among others.
Real Sector
Agriculture and Industry
Research and policy analysis work focuses on the evolution of policies for promoting agricultural and industrial development. In this regard, the programme addresses problems inhibiting the growth of the productive sectors in Kenya. Recent work by the sector has focused on institutional issues that affect the productive sectors. The industry sector has become re-known in labour sub-sector issues and some noteworthy studies include: The Ripple Effects of Minimum Wages on Wages on Negotiated Wages in Kenya; Trafficking in Persons from a Labour Perspective: The Case of Kenya; Wage Determinants in the Civil Service: Which Way for Kenya; and the Civil Service Reform Policy in Kenya. In the industry sub-sector the research is concentrated on ways to enhance access to credit by the micro and small enterprises. Researches in this area include: Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Poor Access to Credit by Micro and Small Enterprises in Kenya; and The Missing Middle Gap in the Industrial Structure in Kenya: What is the Way Out?
Social Sector
Education and Health
This programme aims at developing policies for resolving problems inhibiting the development of human capital in Kenya. The education sub-sector programme is focusing on ways to revitalise education in Kenya at all the tiers (pre-primary, primary, secondary and university), and assessing Kenya’s progress towards attaining Education for All (EFA) by the year 2015. The most recent studies in the education sub-sector include: Policy Gaps and Suggested Strategies of Enhancing Access to Early Childhood Development and Education in Kenya; and Improving Kenya’s Primary Education: Suggested Policy Interventions; The health sub-sector is mainly involved in HIV and AIDS-related studies aimed at combating the scourge. Some of the notable studies done in this area include: Combating HIV/AIDS in Kenya: Priority Setting and Resource Allocation; Gender Aspects in HIV/AIDS Infection and Prevention in Kenya; Funding the Fight Against HIV/AIDS: Budgetary Analysis of Kenya’s HIV/AIDS Activity Prioritisation and Financing; and HIV/AIDS Scourge in Nyanza Province: Culture, Poverty and Behavior Change.
