The working group examines the role of formal and informal institutions in African political life. It is particularly interested in the effect of institutions on the relationship between the state and society. It examines to what extent the state is the key driver of the political developments on the continent and under which institutional constraints the state is operating. The group further wants to interrogate the ways that institutions vary between scales of governance as well as how institutions are affected by non-state actors. The focus on the state thus does not mean that we neglect other actors and their impact. Instead, we wish to examine the state and its effects in relation vis-Ã -vis other actors and within the context-specific institutional framework surrounding the state.
The group is open to all disciplinary approaches, all methodologies (qualitative, quantitative, and experiments) and all levels (local, national, international) of analysis. At this early stage the working group unites faculty and graduate students from the following disciplines: political science, economics, and anthropology. We intend to broaden our interdisciplinary focus over the course of the next few months as we remain open for other disciplinary approaches. We deliberately do not focus on any region within Sub-Saharan Africa but are open to scholarship covering all parts of the continent.
Coordinator:Â Dr. Nicholas Kerr