The Centre for Social Sciences Research (CSSR) and the  Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa  (IDCPPA) at the University of Cape Town invites you to join us for a lunchtime seminar on 29 August 2023 presented by Dr. Chipo Dendere at 12:45pm. 

About the Seminar:

Death, Diversion, and Departure: Voter Exit and the Persistence of Autocracy in Zimbabwe

Despite extensive study on HIV/AIDS we know little about the impact of massive HIV deaths on politics. Drawing on data from the six most HIV impacted states in Southern Africa, this work shows that the involuntary exit (because of death) of millions of voters from the political system created opportunities for autocratic regime survival. Most of those who died or stopped their political participation because of being ill or being caregivers would have been opposition voters and activists. Their exit thus weakened opposition support and helped the regime sustain itself.

Speakers:

Dr. Chipo Dendere is a political scientist and Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College who studies voting behavior- and the various ways democratic and authoritarian regimes sustain themselves. Dr. Dendere uses multi-method approaches in her work, surveys, interviews, and experiments.

During her sabbatical year at UCT, she will be completing edits on her first book project, The Impact of Exit on Party Survival (under review), and she will begin preliminary research on a new project titled Africa’s “First” First Ladies.

 29 August 2023
 12:45 - 14:00 SAST
  CSSR Seminar Room, 4.29 Robert Leslie Social Science Building, UCT

Hosted by the Centre for Social Science Research and the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa

Image Attribution:  "Sarah Chingwaro and her 8 year old grandson look at photographs of his parents who have died from HIV (10719853096)" by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Image removed.Image removed..