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PhD
Martin van Vliet (1979) studied Cultural
Anthropology and Development Sociology at the
University of Leiden. He wrote a master thesis on
the implementation of Mali's decentralization
process from a cultural perspective.
In 2004, he joined the Netherlands Institute for
Multi-Party Democracy (NIMD), an institute set-up by Dutch political parties
that supports political actors in young democracies. He manages
party support programmes in Mali and Zambia and contributes to the
development of more generic Africa oriented political party support
strategies and policies. Of particular interests is the complex
interplay between informal networks, elite interests and institution
building in African young democracies. He co-edited and wrote the
Zambian chapter of the NIMD handbook "Writing Autobiographies of
nations: a comparative analysis of constitutional reform processes
(2009).'
Early 2009, he received a small fund from the Dutch Ministry of
Foreign Affairs to initiate a PHD research project within the
context of the IS-Academy, on a part-time basis, focusing on
different aspects of the democratization process in Mali. Based on
eight years of regular research periods in and working visits to
Mali, his study addresses the changes in local accountability
mechanisms subsequent to the introduction of local elections, the
contribution of Malian Members of Parliament in shaping
accountability, the role of political parties and the upcoming
constitutional reform process in strengthening accountability. He
strives to move beyond universalistic approaches to political
processes in Africa as well as the influential (rather
one-dimensional) neo-patrimonial paradigm and to come up with
empirically based studies on different aspects of Mali's democratic
consolidation process. He is also a member of various committees
formulating suggestions on the future of Dutch development policies
and regularly advises Dutch members of Parliament on political
developments in Africa.
Publications
Accountability and improved local service delivery in Sub-Saharan
Africa. Policy Orientations (2011, brochure) |
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