Professor Bob Mattes

Politics

Contact

Personal statement

Born and educated in the United States, I spent the past 25 years in South Africa (working at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, and teaching at the University of Cape Town, before coming to Strathclyde. My research examines the process of democratization, with a particular focus on Africa and South Africa. I am co-founder and Senior Adviser of Afrobarometer, a regular survey of over 30 countries in Africa (www.afrobarometer.org). I am also co-founder and co-Principal Investigator of the African Legislatures Project, a study of legislatures and legislators in 17 countries(www.cssr.uct.ac.za/alp),and the Principal Investigator of the South African National Election Study, a longitudinal series of post-election surveys dating back to 1994 (www.cssr.uct.ac.za/daru/sanes).

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Research Interests

I work on issues of democratization primarily through the tools of survey research but also employ other methods of institutional analysis. I am co-founder of, and Senior Adviser to Afrobarometer, a regular survey of public opinion in 35 African countries (www.afrobarometer.org). I am also co-founder and co-Principal Investigator of the African Legislatures Project, a study of legislatures and legislators in 17 countries (www.cssr.uct.ac.za/alp). Finally, I am the founder and Principal Investigator of the South African National Election Study, a longitudinal series of post-election surveys dating back to South AFrica's first democratic election of 1994 (www.cssr.uct.ac.za/daru/sanes).  These studies are also carried out in association with the Comparative National Elections Project, and Comparative Study of Electoral Systems project.

Professional Activities

Mapping State Capacity in Africa
Speaker
5/12/2023
Societal Value Dimensions in Africa
Speaker
24/11/2023
Just Energy Transition Enquiry
Speaker
16/11/2023
Journal of Southern African Studies (Journal)
Peer reviewer
2/10/2023
Comparative Political Studies (Journal)
Peer reviewer
30/8/2023
British Journal of Politics and International Relations (Journal)
Peer reviewer
12/7/2023

More professional activities

Projects

Sustainable Development and Citizenship in Africa (SGSSS award)
Mattes, Robert (Principal Investigator)
01-Jan-2022 - 28-Jan-2026
Political Parties in Africa
Mattes, Robert (Principal Investigator) Seekings, Jeremy (Principal Investigator) Lockwood, Sarah Jane (Principal Investigator)
01-Jan-2018
African Legislatures Project
Mattes, Robert (Principal Investigator) Mozaffar, Shaheen (Principal Investigator) Barkan, Joel (Principal Investigator)
01-Jan-2008
Global Barometer Surveys
Chu, Yun-han (Principal Investigator) Mattes, Robert (Principal Investigator) Lagos, Marta (Principal Investigator) Haerpfer, Christian (Principal Investigator) Tessler, Mark (Principal Investigator) Shastri, Sandeep (Principal Investigator)
01-Jan-2000
Afrobarometer
Mattes, Robert (Principal Investigator) Gyimah-Boadi, E. (Principal Investigator) Bratton, Michael (Principal Investigator) Logan, Carolyn (Co-investigator) Dulani, Boniface (Co-investigator) Mitullah, Winnie (Co-investigator)
A regular survey of representative samples of citizens in 35 countries across Africa that measures people's well-being, and their preferences, evaluations and experiences with elected leaders and political institutions.
14-Jan-1998
Southern African Migration Programme
Mattes, Robert (Research Co-investigator) Crush, Jonathan (Principal Investigator) McDonald, David (Principal Investigator)
The Southern African Migration Programme (SAMP) is an international network of organizations founded in 1996 to promote awareness of migration-development linkages in SADC. SAMP conducts applied research on migration and development issues, provides policy advice and expertise, offers training in migration policy and management, and conducts public education campaigns on migration-related issues.
01-Jan-1996

More projects

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Contact

Professor Bob Mattes
Politics

Email: robert.mattes@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 4675