Abstract:
Research generally and Higher Education Research (HER) in particular plays a cardinal role in the formulation of efficient and effective policies, especially those intended to guide socioeconomic development of any country. However, the formulation of many of the policies intended to guide the socioeconomic development of Africa generally and of Uganda in particular is largely not based on empirical research. The policies therefore end up being inefficient and ineffective as far as achieving their intended purposes is concerned. What is baffling is that there is a wealth of HER conducted in these countries about the various components of socioeconomic development, including education and health, but this research is largely unused in the formulation of the policies needed to guide the development of the components. Accordingly, this paper sought to establish the factors explaining the underutilization of HER. Data were collected from officials involved in the formulation of education and health policies; purposively selected from Uganda’ universities, Ministries of Education and Sports, and Ministry of Health. The findings revealed that: i. despite having the content which is largely relevant to formulation of effective and efficient education and health policies, much of Uganda’s HER is somewhat lacking in the area of using quantitative data (as a result of poor record keeping and restrictive management policies of studied institutions) and practical recommendations, ii. Indifferences in attitudes of education and health policy designers towards the use of HER, extent of publishing, and access to HER manuscripts is very low. The paper recommended the use of quantitative data, which can be realized by improving record-keeping and avoiding restrictive management policies; coming up with practical recommendations; policy designers’ change of attitude towards HER; and publication of HER to make it more accessible to education and health policy makers and others interested in its use.

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Kasenene, Edris, S. (2009). Explaining the underutilization of higher education research in the formulation of Africa's socio-economic development policies: the case of Uganda. Paper presented at HERPNET-KIU International Conference on Research in African Higher Education for Sustatainable Development, Kampala.