Mapping cross-border policy networks in West Africa
Speaker: Dr. Olivier Walther
Visiting Associate Professor, Center for African Studies, University of Florida
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark
Thursday, October 5, 2017
3:00-3:50 PM (Period 8)
Turlington Hall Room 3012
University of Florida
All are welcome to attend
This talk examines how policy actors involved in cross-border co-operation contribute to the regional integration process in West Africa. Using social network analysis, the author maps the formal and informal relationships between actors involved in cross-border policy networks, showing that borders have notable and diverse impacts on exchanges of information and the relative power of networks. The author then analyses a range of regional indicators of co-operation potential, visually demonstrating that borders can also affect the ability of sub-regions within West Africa to develop cross-border initiatives. The talk concludes with the analytical foundations for more effective place-based policies to enhance cross-border co-operation in West Africa.
Olivier J. Walther is a Visiting Associate Professor at the Center for African Studies, University of Florida, and an Associate Professor in Political Science at the University of Southern Denmark. His research and teaching has focused on cross-border trade, cross-border cooperation and terrorism in West Africa. Dr Walther has worked in Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Ghana, Benin and Mauritania. His current research project funded by the OECD Sahel and West Africa Club addresses the development of border markets in West Africa.