Florian G. Kern
@floriangkern
Associate Professor, political scientist, Dep of Gov, Univ of Essex, intl politics and governance in Africa, mixed methods, Visiting Senior Fellow LSE Dep of Methodology; Co-Director @africasigessex; ESRC MCCRA
Today at the International Politics in Africa (IPIA) seminar, we had Kingsley Ogunne (University of Ibadan) present his work on African State's Diplomatic Strategies in Global Health Governance. For more info on our virtual seminars and the IPIA see: www.internationalpoliticsinafrica.org/events.html
Transparency going mainstream down by the Eurostar. #sciencebrained
Will definitely use in my next survey as a top-drawer validation item. [Also, which box?]
🇬🇧Sudden loss of ability to take penalties. Just in time for tonight!
Great meeting the fantastic @busaracenter.bsky.social team today in Nairobi to discuss our joint survey efforts for the @mccrafrica-essex.bsky.social project over the next couple of months in Cameroon, DRC, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda. Thanks @engys.bsky.social, Salome Njambi, Gitanksh Sethi!
At our 🌍International Politics in Africa🌍 workshop, participants now get to meet the editors in smaller groups (and a chance to enjoy the BIEA gardens). The organisers look on.
Now all three editors of African Affairs, the African Review, and the South African Journal of International Affairs answer the questions of participants. Lots of questions on review time, early career researcher pressures, publishing work online before submission. 🌍International Politics in Africa🌍
Last we have Alexander Makulilo, editor-in-chief of The African Review, a journal edited in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Dar es Salaam, published by Brill.
Next we have Gabrielle Lynch, co-editor of African Affairs, the top journal on African Studies in the field. Gabrielle is talking about what AA is looking for in an article.
Third and last day of our 🌍International Politics in Africa🌍 is all about journal editors and publishing: first up we have Martha Bridgman, Editor-in-Chief of the South African Journal of Internationao Affairs, who presents aims of the journal and how to publish there.
Such a great group at our 🌍International Politics in Africa🌍 workshop at British Institute in Eastern Africa. Papers studying various aspects of international politics in Africa w/ a focus on how Africans, African governments & societies experience and shape IR. @britishacademy.bsky.social
After lunch, we now have Tendai Ganduri (University of the Witwatersrand) whose paper uses analysis on 3,800+ tweets around COP26 to analyse the discourse around climate diplomacy in South Africa. 🇿🇦
Now we are discussing the paper by Andre Ben-Moses Akuche (Obafemi Awolowo University), who studies Nigeria's gas diplomacy in the context of the green transition, and observes this sovereign pushback against Western climate conditionalities. 🇳🇬
The next paper is by Chikodiri Nwangwu (University of Nigeria Nsukka/University of Johannesburg) who argues ECOWAS's own contradictions and selective enforcement are fuelling West Africa's coup wave.
The fifth paper of the day is by Kingsley Ogunne (University of Ibadan) who investigates African states in global health governance. He shows how collective diplomacy, i.e., Africa CDC, TRIPS waivers, South-South ties, is shifting power.
The next paper is by Alfred Makotsi (Kenya Methodist University) who studies the motivations of international election observers coming to Kenya by using a survey of 139 election observers. 💡 🇰🇪
Eniye Dubakeme (Baze University, Nigeria), who is one of the co-organisers of the workshop, is discussing the paper.
The next paper is by Caroline Shisubili Maingi, Strathmore University, who works on the Eastafricanisation of Kenyan international relations, and how the Kenyan government develops its foreign policy through increased regional identity on the East African level and its national interest. 🇰🇪
The second paper discussed is by Dikeledi A. Mokoena, University of Johannesburg, who looks at economic statecraft by the U.S. to influence South Africa, arguing that South Africa's defiance to economic threats is akin to decolonial resistance. 🇿🇦 🇺🇸📈
And the 🌍International Politics in Africa🌍 workshop has kicked off. The first paper discussed is by Muhidin Shangwe, University of Dar es Salaam, who studies South Africa's response to the war in Gaza, and to what extent African agency is motivated by domestic or pan-African strategic choices.
🌍🌐 @mcchacha.bsky.social and I are happy to welcome all the participants arriving for our "International Politics in Africa" workshop this week in Nairobi. Everyone has been working hard to submit full papers for the workshop (see attached list) + keynote by Gilbert Khadiagala! #africanpolitics
@chrisguarnold.bsky.social & I had a fun, productive kick-off for our ESRC ⭐ ♻️ RecAIqual ♻️ ⭐ project “Exploring the Re-Analysis and Recycling of Qualitative Data with Machine Learning”. We discussed how multimodal ML/AI can complement qual research& secondary data analysis+where humans are peerless.
Such a hero. This was when she decided to take a swim with her great-grandchildren. Admittedly, she was a youthful 98. #bluezone
🚨Excited to announce that @chrisguarnold.bsky.social and I learned that the ESRC has awarded funding for our project "Exploring the Re-Analysis and Recycling of Qualitative Data with Machine Learning". 🚨 In the current climate of UK higher ed, we feel particularly fortunate to be supported. 1/5