Democracy In Africa Research Unit

University of Cape Town

The Democracy In Africa Research Unit (DARU) is one of the constituent units within the Centre for Social Science Research (CSSR) at the University of Cape Town. DARU supports scholars and students in conducting research on a variety of topics related to the consolidation of democracy in South Africa and across the continent. The Unit's core activities are:

advanced systematic research on democratic political culture in Africa;
advanced systematic research on voting and elections in South Africa and across the continent;
exploratory research on the impact of HIV/AIDS on democracy in Africa;
supporting innovative research projects on democratic politics in Africa in general.
DARU will also create opportunities and support for teaching staff from UCT and other African universities who wish to become involved in social scientific research and analysis, by offering:

Visiting Research Fellowships to established scholars from universities and research institutes in Africa and around the world;
University Research Fellowships to enable scholars from the University of Cape Town to conduct systematic research on topics relevant to the Unit.
Along with other CSSR units, DARU will help prepare the next generation of empirical social science researchers through various, practical “learning by doing” mentoring partnerships. It offers:

Doctoral and Masters Scholarshipsto enable researchers to earn masters and doctoratal degrees at the University of Cape Town by writing dissertations and theses on topics relevant to the Democracy in Africa Research Unit or the Social Surveys Unit.
Research Assistantships to UCT: masters, honours and final year undergraduate students to provide basic research support to senior CSSR researchers.