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Since the 1990s, public policy analysis has enjoyed a growing interest on the African continent, as reflected in an increasing number of empirical studies of policy sectors and specific research programs. However, studying public action in the majority of African contexts raises certain questions given that the analytical frameworks are mostly based on empirical and sectorial experiences from studies conducted in North America and Europe. Moreover, institutional and social capacities in Africa are sometimes so low that the very concept of the state is problematic. Indeed, public action in Africa is often misinterpreted as simply an effect of dependency and the importation of institutional techniques. Based on case studies from the African continent, this thematic issue specifically addresses public policy from the perspective of the South. It shows that the scientific challenge lies in demonstrating the interest for the sub-discipline to embrace new empirical experiences: on the one hand, to question the scientific validity of the allegedly universal results stemming from research conducted in the North and, on the other, to enhance public policy analysis by incorporating policy configurations arising in new situations and trajectories.