Full Report - English | French | Arabic
Summary and Conclusions - French | Arabic
Please note that the above documents are pre-print versions and the final publications will be launched shortly.
Summary:
Doing Research (DR) initiative is a global initiative launched in 2014 to systematically assess how the characteristics of a national research system impact the capacity to produce, diffuse and use high-quality social science research for social and economic development in developing countries. By providing original data and analysis through a comparative framework that captures trends across countries and over time, the initiative enables national policymakers, donors, research institutions, and academics to strategize efforts in support of stronger and internationally competitive national research systems.
A funding and programmatic partnership between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research with Expertise France, within the framework of the EU-funded project Savoirs Eco, has enabled the Global Development Network (GDN) to include Tunisia in its flagship Doing Research (DR) global initiative. Tunisia is the first MENA country to be included in the initiative, intended as a pilot project for further expansion across the region.
The project was launched in March 2024 and runs until January 2026. Eight teams responded to the call launched in October 2023 to conduct the research that will lead to the DR Report on Tunisia. An international selection jury, composed of GDN staff, a representative of Expertise France, and three renowned interdisciplinary scholars, convened in February 2024. The selected team was put together by the Applied Social Sciences Forum (ASSF), coordinated by Prof. Abdelwahab Benafaiedh, a sociologist, and includes an interdisciplinary team of experienced and early-career researchers. As in all DR initiatives, the team is supported by a mentor; in Tunisia, this role is filled by Prof. Ghazi Boulila, an economist with extensive national and international experience.
The DR initiative in Tunisia was officially launched on March 14, 2024, at a public meeting held at CERES, the country’s oldest public research centre, in the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, CERES, other research centres, and individual researchers interested in advancing social sciences and economics in Tunisia. The research started in May 2024 and was completed a year later; the final report was drafted in August 2025 in French and translated into Arabic and English. The final conference of the project was held at CERES on September 18, 2025, with the participation of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Ambassador of France to Tunisia, an official representative of the European Union Delegation to Tunisia, as well as representatives from Tunisian universities and the broader scientific community.
Social science research plays a key role in Tunisia's decision-making process. Since the 2011 revolution, the country has been striving to evolve within a complex landscape marked by significant socio-economic challenges and strong democratic aspirations. As a result of the fluctuating bond between knowledge and power, the relationship between the social sciences and public policy is not without tension. It oscillates between periods of trust (cold periods when decision-makers rely on evidence) and periods of mistrust (hot periods when research recommendations are contested or ignored). Sometimes there is mutual denial, which simultaneously weakens the legitimacy of decisions and the credibility of research perceived as detached from the public interest. This ambivalent climate undermines the effectiveness of public policy and the implementation of research recommendations.
The Doing Research - Tunisia (2025) report reveals that, despite these challenges, channels of dialogue between research and decision-making remain operational. It highlights four structural dynamics that characterise the research ecosystem:
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A New Generation at the Helm
The social science research community is notable for its significant generational renewal, with 68% of researchers under the age of 46, and for its strong female representation, which stands at 64%. This feminisation represents a major opportunity for the academic landscape, as it strengthens women’s leadership in research governance and management. On the other hand, the rejuvenation of the profession is accompanied by the gradual departure of senior researchers, which poses a real risk to the intergenerational transmission of knowledge and could, in the long term, affect scientific quality. -
An Ecosystem in Search of Clarity
Tunisian public universities confirm their structuring role as the backbone of the research and innovation system. Conversely, private universities, although playing a growing role in undergraduate education, have so far been only marginally involved in research activities. The low visibility of non-university actors is a major obstacle to the Tunisian research ecosystem. The pace of publication in the social sciences has accelerated exponentially, from 9 articles in 2000 to 517 in 2023. However, nearly a quarter of Tunisian articles in the social sciences are not cited. The majority of lead authors (80%) have published only one article, indicating fragmented and still largely invisible output. -
The Imperative of Continuous Skill Development
Researcher training in Tunisia faces a paradox. Upstream, the doctoral system produces between 1,500 and 2,000 PhDs per year, demonstrating its vitality. However, this massification, often associated with excessive supervision rates, carries risks: it tends to erode quality standards and devalue the degree, thereby compromising scientific rigour and personalised support for doctoral students. Downstream, these training challenges have repercussions on careers. New PhD graduates, although numerous, feel inadequately equipped for the future. Faced with this situation, researchers unanimously express a shared need: to supplement their training with robust postdoctoral mentoring and to acquire essential technical skills, particularly in project development. -
Impact on Public Policy: an Emerging Dynamic of Influence
The link between research and decision-making in Tunisia reveals an emerging dynamic of influence: although real, its impact remains limited, as evidenced by the low proportion of researchers (16.5%) who have directly contributed to public policy development. However, indirect influence seems to be growing, as half of researchers note that their work is cited in official reports. This emerging permeability, while promising, highlights the need to strengthen mediation mechanisms in order to transform this passive recognition into concrete and systematic impact.
The landscape of social science research in Tunisia is shaped by contradictory forces that drive and structure its evolution. These tensions, between imposed extroversion and local roots, outline the contours of a rapidly changing ecosystem seeking a balance between international excellence and societal relevance.
Authors:
- Mr. Abdelwahab Benhafaiedh (University of Tunis, ASSF)
- Ms. Alma Hafsi (University of Tunis, FSHST)
- Ms. Salwa Trabelsi (University of Tunis El Manar)
- Mr. Ikram Dridi (University of Jendouba)
- Mr. Ida Saidani (University of Tunis, FSHST)
- Mr. Mounir Saidani (University of Tunis El Manar)
- Mr. Riadh Safi (ASSF)
- Mr. Ali Ben Abdallah (CERES)
- Mr. Naceur Blah (University of Jendouba)
- Mr. Ghazi Boulila (University of Tunis, mentor of the ASSF team)
Funder(s): Expertise France, within the framework of the EU-funded project Savoirs Eco.
Watch the recording of the final conference - Part 1 | Part 2 | Highlights
Conference Press Release - English | Arabic | French
For more information, please contact Dr. Daniele Cantini at dcantini@gdn.int
If you cite this resource, please notify communications@gdn.int with the subject line 'GDN citation'.
