About

Robert Mattes is Professor of Government and Public Policy at the University of Strathclyde, and Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa at the University of Cape Town. He is a co-founder of, and Senior Adviser to Afrobarometer, a ground-breaking regular survey of public opinion in 35 African countries. He has also has helped to launch and run other major research projects such as the African Legislatures Project (Co-Principal Investigator), a systematic study of 17 African parliaments from 2008 to 2012, and the South African National Election Study (Principal Investigator), a series of post-election surveys dating back to 1994. And as a consultant for various donors and government agents, he has designed and conducted surveys and other research projects in South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. His research focuses on the development of democratic attitudes and practices in South Africa and across the continent. He is the co-author author (with Michael Bratton and E. Gyimah-Boadi) of Public Opinion, Democracy and Markets In Africa (Cambridge University Press, 2005) and (with David Denemark and Richard Niemi) of Growing Up Democratic: Does It Make A Difference? (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2016) and has authored or co-authored articles in journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, British Journal of Political Science, World Development, Journal of Democracy, Democratization, and Party Politics. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1992).

Research Interests

Africa, Comparative Politics, Democratisation, Elections, Institutions, Parliaments, Political Participation

Current/Upcoming Events

Standing Groups and Research Networks

• Parliaments
• Comparative Political Institutions