Africa in Global Public Policy: Theoretical Perspectives and the Role of International Law in Shaping Public Policy in Africa

The positioning of Africa within international relations continues to be a subject of debate. While pessimists perceive Africa as stagnant, burdened by its colonial history and bureaucratic complexities and that such obtaining situations cannot be transformed, optimists envision a realm of potential transformation, often invoking scattered evidence that justify concepts such as “Africa rising†or an “African Renaissance†but practically remaining complacent in business as usual practices. Realists, meanwhile, acknowledge Africa’s vulnerabilities and advocate for pragmatic approaches to effect positive change. This paper takes a theoretical angle to examine Africa’s role in the globalized world through the lens of its influence on and interaction with the global public policy agenda; employing international law as a ground to test the theorizing. Applying qualitative-interpretive design and critical desk review, arguments made in the paper are organized in four interdependent sequences. Firstly, it provides a contextualization of global public policy theatre; explores a spectrum of theoretical frameworks and counter-theories to elucidate Africa’s position in global public policy, employing the structure-agency problem to delineate between these perspectives. Thirdly, it undertakes a conceptual disambiguation, with specific attention given to international law and then investigates the role of international law in African public policy processes, with a brief analysis of its impact across four substantive policy areas. The paper makes three conclusions: firstly, the paper showcases that the position of Africa may depend largely on the theoretical angle adopted by an analyst, with agency-based theories looking inward and discussing Africa’s deficiencies as emerging from within it, while structure-based perspectives focus on external factors. Bridging this divide is crucial for understanding Africa’s position in global public policy comprehensively. Secondly, the contemporary global landscape has undergone significant transformation, blurring the boundaries between local and global policy spheres, thereby profoundly affecting Africa as a vulnerable entity within this dynamic environment. Thirdly, while international law is not without its limitations, it remains an indispensable facet of Africa’s public policy discourse, exerting considerable influence on decision-making processes. This paper contributes to the ongoing dialogue on Africa’s engagement with global public policy, offering insights into its evolving role and the complexities inherent in its interaction with international legal frameworks. It therefore attempts to marry two currently separated research areas, namely on one hand, the literature on the place of Africa in IR and the quest to deconstruct intellectual imperialism in “International Studies†and on the other hand, empirical analysis of Africa’s influence on and interaction with the global public policy agenda.