Institutional Capacity Challenges for Policy Research Analysis (PRA) in Zimbabwe: A Comparative Study of State and Non-state Policy Institutions

Institutional capacity forms the core of sound policy research and analysis (PRA). Studies of institutional capacity focusing on PRA are increasingly gaining momentum in the contemporary world. Specifically, researchers focus on how governments can design and adopt policy decisions to fundamentally address societal needs and realise sustainable development. This chapter investigates the institutional capacity for PRA in Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Policy, with a specific focus on state and non-state policy institutions. The thesis of the chapter is that institutional incapacity undermines effective policy research and analysis. A qualitative research methodology was applied to gain more insight into the research topic. Land and agrarian institutions, the Ruzivo Trust, Women and Land Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement, the 2003 Presidential Land Review Commission (PLRC), and relevant academics and experts on land governance were consulted for case evidence. In this study, data collection tools included in-depth interviews and documentary searches. The researchers used content and thematic analysis approaches for data presentation and analysis. Research findings highlight that the institutional capacity for PRA in Zimbabwe is relatively weak and fragmented. The main challenges noted include overstressed human resources due to understaffing and limited financial resources exacerbated by leakages through corruption. The study, therefore, recommends that the Land Commission appoints qualified and non-partisan staff. Furthermore, policy researchers and analysts should be given access to critical policy documents.