Partnership for African Social and Governance Research
Project Title
As a final grant for doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships in public policy
Date
Mar. 05, 2026
Duration
24 months
Description
The Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR),establishedin 2011 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, is a pan-African nonprofit organization that works to strengthen research excellence and public policy training. In 2019, PASGR launched a collaborative Doctorate in Public Policy (DPP) program with sixteen African universities, which has graduated nineteen scholars to date that are contributing across academia, research institutions, and policy spaces. In this final phase of Carnegie support for DPP, PASGR will provide fellowships and research grants,conveneannual academic seminars,andtrain doctoral students in policy engagement.It will alsosupport facultymobilityandestablishan alumni network to contribute to sustainability and build a long-term community of public policy researchers working to advance evidence-informed policy.
Website
Project Title
For research and transformation of doctoral practices and procedures in African universities
Date
Jun. 05, 2025
Duration
36 months
Description
Doctoral education in Africa continues to face persisting challenges such as low enrollment and completion rates and insufficient resources, warranting an assessment of the effectiveness of current models of doctoral training in Africa. The Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), a leading institution in public policy and research in Africa, provides a platform through its Utafiti Sera model, anevidence informed research-policy engagement approach. With Corporation support, PASGR will conduct a comprehensive assessment of doctoral training practices in the social sciences, humanities, and education disciplines across seven African countries. Corporation funding will also support engagement with stakeholders to share learningsand develop scalability strategies, as well as the dissemination of findings through mediapublications.
Website
Project Title
For support of African doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships in public policy
Date
Sep. 14, 2023
Duration
24 months
Description
The Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) was formed in 2011 with the initial aim of developing a collaborative master’s degree program in public policy. As of 2023, 13 universities in seven African countries offer the Master’s in Research and Public Policy program, graduating 317 students to date. Building on this program, in 2019, PASGR launched a network doctoral program which aims to strengthen training of social scientists, with a focus on policy-relevant research, through strengtheninguniversity capacity to design and implement high-quality doctoral programs. With its first four graduates expected in 2023, the doctoral program combines coursework and the production of a dissertation, along with requirements of university partners. With Corporation renewed support, PASGR will offer fellowships, research, faculty mobility grants, and training workshops for doctoral students and supervisors, among other activities.
Website
Project Title
For research and policy dialogues on university financing
Date
Sep. 14, 2023
Duration
24 months
Description
University financing is critical to creating accessible higher educationsystems for Africa’s youth. The pandemic exposedshortfalls in access, quality, and infrastructure, which several countries areseeking to address. As a major higher education system in Africa, Kenyaannounced a new university financing model that supports students based onsocioeconomic status. The Partnership for African Social Governance andResearch (PASGR) in Nairobi produces policy-driven research and seeks tocontribute to a vibrant higher education sector. An assessment of Kenya’s newuniversity financing model will serve as a valuable resource for informinghigher education financing systems on the continent. With renewedCorporation-support, PASGR will assess the effectiveness and sustainability ofa needs-based university financing model through research, convenings, andpolicy engagements.
Website
Project Title
For support of a network doctoral program in public policy
Date
Sep. 02, 2021
Duration
24 months
Description
The Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) was formed in 2011 with the initial aim of developing a collaborative master’s degree program in public policy. As of 2021, 14 universities in seven African countries offer the Master’s in Research and Public Policy program, graduating 179 students to date. Building on this, the PASGR pilot network doctoral program aims to strengthen training of social scientists, particularly those with an interest in policy-relevant research, through strengtheninguniversity capacity to design and implement high-quality doctoral programs. The doctoral program combines coursework and the production of a dissertation, along with specific requirements of the network universities. With Corporation support, PASGR will offer competitive fellowships, research, fieldwork, and faculty mobility grants, and training workshops for doctoral students and supervisors, among other activities.
Website
Project Title
For research and policy dialogues on African higher education in the pandemic environment
Date
Mar. 04, 2021
Duration
30 months
Description
The pandemic environment has highlighted existing inequalities in delivery and access to higher education in Africa. Lack of strong infrastructure and preparedness has exacerbated concerns for some universities, while others have benefitted from remote learning, public-private partnerships, and increasedlocal research. The Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), based in Nairobi, Kenya, has developed Utafiti Sera, a Swahili word forresearch-policy dialogues, to engage higher education policymakers, the public and private sectors,and concerned communitiesin the design of appropriate partnerships and programs. Corporation support for PASGR’s Utafiti Sera will address and respond to COVID-19 disruptionsin African higher education throughresearch, workshops, and policy dialogues.
Website
Project Title
For support to launch a doctoral program in public policy
Date
Mar. 07, 2019
Duration
30 months
Description
The Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) formed in 2011 with the initial aim of developing a collaborative master’s degree program in public policy. Currently, thirteen universities in seven African countries run the Master of Research and Public Policy course, graduating 137 students to date. PASGR also launched several other initiatives, including a workshop series on social research methods, which has served more than 1,000 researchers. PASGR’s new collaborative doctoral program will be offered by four universities—the Universities of Botswana, Dar es Salaam, Ibadan, and Pretoria—and aims to boost public policy research and research training capacity. This grant will support fellowships for fifteen students and the development of a training module for supervisors and an interactive, on-line doctoral process management guide, among other activities.
Website
Project Title
For an early stage assessment of outcomes of a multi-methods research course
Date
Sep. 13, 2018
Duration
17 months
Description
High quality social science research depends upon rigorous research design and application of appropriate research methods. Since its inception in 2011, the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) has sought to address capacity gaps in social science research through offering short courses in social research design and multi-methods research. To date, more than 1,000 early- and mid-career researchers from African universities, think tanks, civil society organizations, and government agencies have completed these courses. PASGR is now embarking on a comprehensive evaluation of the program to assess effectiveness and relevance of the courses and inform strategic direction of PASGR’s professional development program. This grant supports the costs and activities associated with the evaluation.
Website
Project Title
As a one-time grant for strengthening social science research methods training in Africa
Date
Jun. 09, 2016
Duration
30 months
Description
The quality of research in the social sciences depends to a great extent on the researcher having in-depth knowledge of methodology, including conceptualizing research, matching methods to research questions, and applying methods appropriately and rigorously. For a variety of reasons, methods training in many African social science graduate programs does not meet competitive standards. In response, the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) developed a course on social research methods. The course benefits social science researchers, non-social scientists who want to add a social dimension to their research, and policymakers who want to learn how to evaluate research offered as evidence for policy. This grant will provide scholarships for thirty-five course participants and enable the participation of an additional forty-five to sixty-five; underwrite the revision of ten modules and the development of one new module and one e-case, and support training for ten new instructors.
Website
Project Title
As a one-time grant for advising with the planning of the continental summit "Revitalizing Higher Education for Africa's Future"
Date
Mar. 05, 2015
Duration
5 months