Dan Paget Email and Phone Number

I am an early career researcher. I am finishing my PhD at the University of Oxford. My research interests fall within the fields of democratic politics in sub-Saharan Africa, comparative politics and comparative political sociology. I write on the politics of sub-Saharan Africa in general, and the politics of Tanzania and Zambia in particular.I believe that the mass rally is among the most overlooked phenomena in the study of politics in sub-Saharan Africa. In many countries, politicians and voters interact with each other at rallies more frequently than they do through any other medium. Often, the rally is unrivalled as a spectacle, a symbol, a platform and a means of direct contact. Election campaigns such as these are rally-intensive. My thesis is about the transformative effect of the rally on election campaign strategy and party organisation. It builds on a year of field work in Tanzania, where I attended 44 rallies, undertook 153 interviews and observed the 2015 election campaign at large. In my thesis, I unpick the anatomy of that general election campaign. By doing so, I seek to demonstrate that the rally-intensive campaign alters how parties maximise campaign contact, how they target voters, and how they organise to do so. I expect to submit my thesis later in 2017.My work has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Democracy. I have a proven track record in winning research grants, and translating my research into impact. I have three policy publications with widely recognised and respected organisations, one of which has been translated into Arabic, Burmese and Spanish. I often advise governments on politics in East Africa.