New study reveals the path of agricultural research into policymaking
2026-10-07
In his thesis Making Impact, Crafting Policy: Agricultural Research and its Impact on Policymaking in Mozambique, Rui José António examined how research is produced, made visible and used in the formulation of policies, with a focus on Mozambique and sub-Saharan Africa.
“One of the most important findings was that academic research was used to a limited extent in the policy documents studied. Of 1,216 references in 98 agricultural policy and policy-related documents, 103, corresponding to 8.5 per cent, were scientific publications. When research was cited, it was primarily used to provide evidence, describe methods or support arguments,” said Rui José António.
Visibility varies greatly between databases
The thesis also shows that the visibility of African research varies greatly between different scientific databases. This means that research may be difficult to find depending on which databases are used.
Another part of the doctoral project examined the development of agricultural research in sub-Saharan Africa between 2000 and 2020.
“The results show that research output increased during the period, but that it is still concentrated in a relatively limited number of countries and institutions,” said Rui José António.
The thesis contributes to a greater understanding of how research becomes visible and accessible, and of the conditions that influence whether it is used in policy formulation.
The findings of the thesis are applicable to other countries around the world, although some caution is required.
Comparison with other countries proposed
“The specific findings in my research cannot be directly applied to, for example, Sweden, because research and policy systems differ between countries. However, the same method could be used to investigate whether Swedish policy documents use research in similar or different ways. Sweden would therefore be an interesting comparative case,” said Rui José António.
In the thesis, he proposes that the research be expanded to include comparisons between countries, the inclusion of other policy areas, and interviews with decision-makers, researchers and consultants. This could help explain how research is selected and used, as well as uses that are not visible through references or citations.
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Rui José António defended his doctoral thesis in the field of library and information science on 18 September at the Swedish School of Library and Information Science, the University of Borås. The doctoral studies have been carried out within a collaboration with Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo, Mozambique, as part of the Sida funded research training partnership programme Central library Programme: Strengthening the capacity to access and use of scientific information resources in Mozambique.
Principal supervisor: Professor Björn Hammarfelt
Assistant supervisor: David Gunnarsson Lorentzen, Associate Professor
Connection to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)
Solveig Klug
Erik Norving