EXAMINING THE AGENDA SETTING PROCESSES OF THE UGANDAN PARLIAMENT: A CASE STUDY OF THE UGANDA PARLIAMENTARY FORUM ON YOUTH AFFAIRS IN ITS EFFORTS TO END YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT

Abstract

The study assesses the agenda-setting processes undertaken by the parliamentary forum on youth affairs to address youth unemployment and underemployment in Uganda. The forum is an advocacy body formed in 2008 by the youth parliamentary representatives to ensure effective representation in parliament from all political parties in the country. In parliament, 152 members of parliament sought to alleviate the plight of Ugandan youth by shedding greater attention on youth concerns. Unlike other youth policy programs, the forum is not directly affiliated with the ruling party and was founded by various members of parliament across all political parties. However, its autonomy is debatable as the ruling party holds majority seats in parliament. Drawing on the work documented by the forum, civil society, media and government institutions in the past five years (2017 to 2021), the current study analyzes the level of autonomy of this forum and other factors in prioritizing key youth policy issues such as unemployment and underemployment in all aspects and stages. My research analyses the agenda-setting processes undertaken by the forum in formulating policies to address these issues and the role of civil society and media. The research uses a qualitative case study approach in which primary and secondary data was employed. Secondary data from existing work documents of the forum, information retrieved from websites of various stakeholders working with the forum and previous studies on similar subjects were assessed and analyzed in themes to arrive at findings. Eight important stakeholders, including young members of parliament, national youth council leaders, civil society activists, and media representatives, were interviewed in semi-structured interviews to acquire primary data. The study also investigated the works of leading government interventions to curb youth unemployment and underemployment. The key data sources were the websites of numerous civil society organizations identified as collaborating with the forum after conducting a stakeholder analysis, as well as the websites of media outlets that report the forum's and partners' work. Regarding the theoretical framework, this study relied on the agenda-setting theory to assess the agenda-setting processes in youth policy-making in Uganda in collaboration with other policy actors such as the media. This theory aided in assessing the role of the various policy actors working with the parliamentary youth forum. A stakeholder analysis was also conducted to identify key stakeholders working with the forum, at the government, private and media levels. Their influence and contribution in policymaking, particularly at the level of agenda formulation, was evaluated in collaboration with the parliamentary youth forum. According to the study, the parliamentary forum on youth affairs has done an outstanding job collaborating with civil society, the media, and national youth council leaders to execute its advocacy role. In fact, they managed to propose, design, and pass at least four legislations in parliament aimed at addressing youth unemployment and underemployment. However, due to political and bureaucratic challenges in obtaining financial approval of private member bills by respective institutions, particularly the final step of obtaining a finance certificate to ensure successful implementation of the bills, most of the bills have remained dormant, while the forum promises to look into other funding options. Furthermore, it is evident that the forum has failed to reach a quorum of young people during youth interactions and dialogues on crucial problems affecting them and future directions. According to the forum, a little over 2000 youths were met in the last five years, which is a relatively modest amount given the large population statistics of the youth. There is a need therefore to roll out the consultations more and build strategic partnerships with legible funders to finance successfully passed bills. As a result, this study seeks to educate the government, civil society, the general public, and the media about the role of each policy actor in defining the agenda for youth policy issues. These findings will aid in the formulation of policy-related changes and contextualized ways to solve these problems. The study also proposes approaches for creating autonomous bodies to champion policy-making of other interest groups both globally and nationally in similar contexts as well as recommending approaches to ensure a levelled ground for participation for all policy actors is in place to ensure effective and efficient policymaking.

This study lays a foundation for future research on the country's agenda-setting processes, as well as recommendations for the case study, its partners (civil society and the media), and government institutions.