Professor Bob Mattes
Politics
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).
Area of Expertise
Survey Research
Comparative Politics
African Politics
South African Politics
United States Politics
Prize And Awards
- Visiting Research Scholar, Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies
- Recipient
- 9/2016
- Academy of Science of South Africa
- Recipient
- 2014
- Visiting Scholar, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University
- Recipient
- 4/2011
- STIAS Fellow. Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study
- Recipient
- 7/2010
- Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow, National Endowment for Democracy
- Recipient
- 2005
- Principal's International Scholar Award. Queen's University
- Recipient
- 2005
Publications
- Africans' views of the US and China
- Mattes Robert, Lewis Peter
- Is Africa Turning Against the West? (2023) (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.14672/56000456
- Political parties and democracy in South Africa
- Mattes Robert, Krönke Matthias, Lockwood Sarah
- Political Parties and the Crisis of Democracy Organization, Resilience, and Reform (2023) (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198888734.003.0023
- Harmonization in the Afrobarometer
- Logan Carolyn, Mattes Robert, Kibirige Francis
- Survey Data Harmonization in the Social Sciences (2023) (2023)
- It takes two to toyi-toyi : one party dominance and opposition party failure in South Africa's 2019 national election
- Schulz-Herzenberg Collette, Mattes Robert Britt
- Democratization Vol 30, pp. 1313-1334 (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2023.2228710
- Lived Poverty Resurgent : COVID-19 Restrictions Feed Economic Contraction to Drive Down Living Standards in Africa
- Mattes Robert, Patel Jaynisha
- Afrobaromater Policy Paper Afrobaromater Policy Paper, No. 84 (2022)
- Economic vulnerability and poor service delivery made it more difficult for shack-dwellers to comply with COVID-19 restrictions
- Ellison George TH, Mattes Robert B, Rhoma Hanan, de Wet Thea
- South African Journal of Science Vol 118, pp. 1-15 (2022)
- https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2022/13301
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
- ‘Jolt to reality’: Gaza war shakes up South Africa’s election campaign
- Recipient
- 28/2/2024
- 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
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