German Institute for Global and Area Studies Offers Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Comparative Politics Focused on Sub-Saharan Africa 2025

The German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) is wanting for a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (m/f/d) place in Comparative Politics, with a specific emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. This is a full-time function, initially contracted for three years, with the potential for extension for one other three years contingent on a profitable efficiency analysis and the provision of further funding.

The chosen candidate will likely be an integral part of the GIGA Institute for African Affairs (IAA), a famend centre inside GIGA that produces cutting-edge analysis on the political and socio-economic dynamics of the African continent. The fellow may also actively contribute to considered one of GIGA’s 4 cross-regional analysis programmes, relying on their analysis alignment: Accountability and Participation (RP1), Peace and Security (RP2), Globalisation and Development (RP3), or Global Orders and Foreign Policies (RP4).

This alternative is designed for students who’re desperate to additional qualify themselves academically beneath the framework of Germany’s Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act. It is right for early-career researchers with a robust curiosity in comparative politics and a regional specialization in sub-Saharan Africa, notably these whose analysis addresses urgent points similar to political regimes, democratization, authoritarianism, battle, digital governance, misinformation, and the function of home and exterior actors in shaping political outcomes.

Research Focus and Responsibilities

The appointed fellow will have interaction in analysis addressing key points in comparative politics associated to sub-Saharan Africa. Potential areas of study embrace, however aren’t restricted to:

• Processes of autocratisation and democratisation

• Domestic political establishments and dynamics

• Influence of exterior actors on regional politics

• Comparative political financial system

• Conflict research and peacebuilding efforts

• Challenges posed by misinformation and repression

• Political implications of digitalisation

The fellow is predicted to develop a analysis agenda that aligns with these themes, contributing to GIGA’s mission of conducting analysis with real-world relevance. Engagement in information change and outreach actions, similar to media engagement and coverage advisory work, can be anticipated.

Qualifications

Mandatory:

• A accomplished or near-completed Ph.D. in Political Science, International Relations, Economics, or a associated self-discipline

• An rising observe file of publications in respected educational journals

• Proficiency in qualitative and/or quantitative comparative analysis strategies

• Fluency in English

Desirable:

• Experience in securing third-party analysis funding

• Regional experience in Central and Eastern Africa, together with the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa

• Proficiency in German and/or regional languages

• Engagement in coverage advisory and information change actions

Application Process

Interested candidates ought to submit the next paperwork:

All paperwork ought to be compiled right into a single PDF file not exceeding 15 pages, excluding the application kind. Recommendation letters are elective and ought to be despatched on to the offered electronic mail tackle, referencing the candidate’s title.

Submission Details

Applications ought to be despatched by way of electronic mail to:

📧 jobs-25-05@giga-hamburg.de

Please embrace the reference quantity GIGA-25-05 in your application.

Deadline

The screening of purposes will start on 26 May 2025.

Contact Information

For additional inquiries, please contact:

About GIGA

The German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) is a number one worldwide analysis institute primarily based in Hamburg, Germany, devoted to analyzing political, social, and financial developments throughout the globe, with a robust emphasis on comparative space research. Within this framework, the GIGA Institute for African Affairs (IAA) performs a significant function by conducting in-depth, interdisciplinary analyses of tendencies and transformations in sub-Saharan Africa.

The IAA applies a social science–primarily based strategy to African Studies that integrates each rigorous methodological frameworks and wealthy regional experience. It focuses on a broad vary of matters together with political regimes and establishments, democratization and autocratization processes, violent battle and peacebuilding, financial improvement, and problems with governance, inequality, and social actions.

For extra details about the institute and its analysis applications, go to the GIGA Institute for African Affairs.

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This place affords a singular alternative for students specializing in African politics to interact in impactful analysis inside a number one world institute. For extra world alternatives like this, go to the Opportunities for Youth web site.

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