The Public Policy Hub (PPH) at the University of Pretoria has joined the Sustainable Development Goals Initiative (SDGi) as a new partner. Over the next two years, PPH will work with the Presidency’s Policy and Research Services (PRS) branch and selected municipalities to support the customisation and uptake of the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System (SEIAS) at local government level.
The Public Policy Hub (PPH) joins the Sustainable Development Goals Initiative (SDGi) as a new partner!
The Public Policy Hub (PPH) at the University of Pretoria is a transdisciplinary platform dedicated to advancing public sector reform across Africa through evidence-informed, collaborative and context-specific solutions. By connecting government priorities with academic expertise and student talent, the PPH translates research into practical policy solutions that strengthen institutions and improve lives.
Over the next two years, the PPH will be supporting the Policy and Research Services (PRS) branch within The Presidency, with the customisation of the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System (SEIAS) at local government level.
SEIAS is a policy impact assessment used by government and public-sector institutions to identify problems and their root causes, offering evidence-informed options for implementation. Since 2015, various policy proposals in South Africa have undergone SEIAS, ranging from regulations and bills to norms and standards.
Municipal uptake of SEIAS remains limited, partly due to:
- national-level design
- technical complexity
- limited alignment with municipal planning frameworks
- resource constraints
- limited post-implementation review mechanisms
The PPH will support the PRS and selected municipalities to improve capacity through training and deploying post-doctoral research fellows. This partnership represents an important step towards institutionalising evidence-informed policy-making across all levels of government in South Africa.