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Nic Cheeseman

Professor of Democracy, University of Birmingham

Nic Cheeseman is the Professor of Democracy at the University of Birmingham. He was formerly the Director of the African Studies Centre at the University of Oxford. His research addresses a range of questions such as whether populism is an effective strategy of political mobilization in Africa, how paying tax changes citizens’ attitudes towards democracy and corruption, and the conditions under which ruling parties lose power. In addition to a number of book chapters and articles, he has published two co-edited collections: Our Turn To Eat (2010), which covers the politics of Kenya since independence, and The Handbook of African Politics (2013). A monograph, Democracy in Africa, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2015 and a second book, How to Rig An Election, is currently under contract with Yale.

Nic spends much of his time explaining the implications of his work to policy makers, including the Cabinet Office, Foreign Office, and the Department for International Development of the UK government, the Instituto Rio Branco of the Brazilian government, the Lagos State Government, the Pan African Parliament, and the World Bank. He is the joint editor of African Affairs, an advisor to the African Progress Panel, and a member of the advisory board of the UNICEF Chair on Communication Research (Africa). Finally, Nic writes a regular column for Kenya's Sunday Nation newspaper and is the founder of www.democacyinafrica.org. You can follow all of his research on Twitter @fromagehomme and at https://www.facebook.com/nic.cheeseman

Fears of election rigging may fuel further abuses in Kenya: democracy could be the loser

Feb 23, 2022 22:39 pm UTC| Politics

As Kenyans approach a general election in August 2022, many lack confidence in the electoral process. According to a national opinion poll conducted by Afrobarometer in 2019, only 29.2% of Kenyans thought that the...

Digital democracy is still a long way off in Africa: it takes more than technology

Oct 05, 2020 13:30 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

From the mid-2000s onwards, the digital revolution raised hopes of democratic transformation and strengthening in Africa. But it hasnt quite turned out like that. Now, almost a decade after the Arab Spring, techno-optimism...

Discrediting elections: why the opposition playbook carries risks

Feb 25, 2020 12:57 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

Malawi recently held its breath as the Constitutional Court took ten hours to painstakingly read out its verdict on the highly controversial 2019 presidential elections. When it finally became clear that the judgment would...

Kenya: why elite cohesion is more important than ethnicity to political stability

Feb 22, 2020 00:25 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Kenyan politics is often depicted as a battle between different ethnic Big Men who can mobilise their supporters with a click of their fingers. The ability of successive generations of the Kenyatta family to rally the...

Both democracy and authoritarianism are on the rise in Africa

Feb 19, 2019 16:58 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Is democracy in Africa in retreat? Or is it simply suffering growing pains? The last 12 months have seen a great deal of controversy and debate on these important questions. There have been some bright spots, like the...

Zambia slides towards authoritarianism as IMF props up government

Jun 21, 2017 15:45 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The speaker of the Zambian National Assembly, Patrick Matibini, has suspended 48 opposition legislators for 30 days as a punishment for unauthorised absence from the parliament. Their offence? To have been missing for...

Economy

US-India Trade Bombshell: Tariffs Slashed to 18% — Rupee Soars, Sensex Explodes

Announced on February 2, 2026, the US-India commerce deal offers Indian exports significant tariff relief. From 25% to 18%, US reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods have been cut; the extra 25% punitive tariff connected with...

India Services Sector Rebounds in January as New Business Gains Momentum: HSBC PMI Shows Growth

Indias dominant services sector showed a strong rebound in January after slipping to an 11-month low in December, supported by a rise in new business activity, according to the latest HSBC India Services Purchasing...

Asian Currencies Trade Sideways as Dollar Stabilizes, Yen Weakens Ahead of Japan Election

Most Asian currencies traded within a narrow range on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar steadied following a strong rebound over the past week, while the Japanese yen underperformed amid growing political uncertainty ahead of a...

Australia’s Corporate Regulator Urges Pension Funds to Boost Technology Investment as Industry Grows

Australias corporate regulator has warned the countrys rapidly expanding pension fund industry that it must significantly increase investment in systems, technology, and governance to safeguard its future and avoid...

Trump Administration Sued Over Suspension of Critical Hudson River Tunnel Funding

New York and New Jersey have filed an emergency lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to restore federal funding for the $16 billion Hudson River tunnel project, a critical piece of U.S. transportation...

Politics

Illinois Joins WHO Global Outbreak Network After U.S. Exit, Following California’s Lead

Illinois will join the World Health Organizations Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), marking a significant public health move following the United States official withdrawal from the WHO last month....

U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Expected in Oman Following Venue Change Request

Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran are expected to take place in Oman on Friday, according to a report by Axios journalist Barak Ravid, who cited an Arab source familiar with the matter. The upcoming...

Trump Extends AGOA Trade Program for Africa Through 2026, Supporting Jobs and U.S.-Africa Trade

President Donald Trump has signed legislation extending the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a key U.S.-Africa trade program, through December 31, 2026. The extension is retroactive from September 30, 2025,...

Australian Scandium Project Backed by Richard Friedland Poised to Support U.S. Critical Minerals Stockpile

An Australian scandium mining project backed by billionaire mining executive Richard Friedland is expected to play a role in the United States newly announced $12 billion critical minerals stockpile, according to comments...

Stephen Miran Resigns as White House Economic Adviser Amid Federal Reserve Tenure

Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran has formally resigned from his role as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), fulfilling a commitment he made to the U.S. Senate as his tenure at the Federal...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Tencent Shares Slide After WeChat Restricts YuanBao AI Promotional Links

Shares of Tencent Holdings (HK:0700) fell sharply on Wednesday after its popular messaging platform WeChat blocked certain promotional links related to YuanBao, the companys artificial intelligence chatbot. The move...

Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies

Nvidia is reportedly nearing a major investment deal with OpenAI, signaling a significant development in the global artificial intelligence landscape. According to sources cited by Reuters, the chipmaking giant is in...

Anthropic Eyes $350 Billion Valuation as AI Funding and Share Sale Accelerate

Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic is reportedly preparing a major secondary share sale that would allow some employees to sell shares at a valuation of at least $350 billion, according to a recent Bloomberg report....

AMD Shares Slide Despite Earnings Beat as Cautious Revenue Outlook Weighs on Stock

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) delivered a solid quarterly earnings beat, topping Wall Street expectations on both revenue and profit, yet its stock slipped in extended trading after the company projected a sequential...

Nintendo Shares Slide After Earnings Miss Raises Switch 2 Margin Concerns

Nintendo shares fell sharply on Wednesday after the Japanese gaming giant reported weaker-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, intensifying investor concerns over profitability and margins tied to its highly...