The Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE) has a small research grants competition for African scholars and/or activists based in Africa which runs every two years. The competition is based on the premise that a shortage of funding for critical research is one of the problems faced by Africa-based scholars and activists wishing to carry forward a political economy agenda. In response to this, ROAPE is offering up to two small research grants (value £3000). The process of selection of proposals, as well as their expected format, is outlined below.

ROAPE is a refereed journal committed to encouraging high quality research and fostering excellence in the understanding of African political economy. A political economy approach entails a critical understanding of the social relationships, particularly the power relationships, that mutually constitute the production, distribution and consumption of resources. It requires us to ask who produces what and for whom and hence an investigation into social relations that are generated by struggles over livelihoods and exploitation of the many by the few. Radical political economy represents a form of engagement with those struggles.

ROAPE is listed in the Thomson Reuters Social Sciences Citation Index and published quarterly by Taylor & Francis. Since 1974 it has provided radical analysis of trends, issues and social processes in Africa, adopting a broadly materialist interpretation of change. It has paid particular attention to the political economy of inequality, exploitation and oppression and struggles against them, whether driven by global forces or local ones such as class, race, community and gender. It sustains a critical analysis of the nature of power and the state in Africa in the context of capitalist globalisation.

Eligibility

Applicants should be nationals of an African country and residents in an African country. Applicants who are based in or studying outside Africa will not be considered. Priority will be given to younger scholars and activists who are not yet established and who do not have alternative source of funding for primary research. Joint applications (by two candidates or more) meeting these criteria will also be considered.

How to apply

Applications should be sent by email to the following address: lcmrs@roape.net

Please make sure that you include these words in the title of your email: ‘Lionel Cliffe Memorial Research Scholarship’.

Your application should contain:

A brief outline of your research proposal, consisting of:

• a title
• an abstract of no more than 100 words, clarifying the political economy framing of the research
• an outline of no more than 200 words, including a section on the methodology to be adopted in the proposed study
• your CV with:
  • relevant biographical info (name; age; sex; contact details; nationality – please specify if you have more than one nationality; current residence – please specify if you have double residence)
  • educational qualifications
  • activist experience
  • research experience
  • your current employment circumstances, including any study or internship programme you are enrolled in, with specification of your remuneration if applicable.
  • a motivation letter explaining how you meet the criteria and why you think you are a good candidate for the LCMRS
  • two full references, inclusive of position/institutional affiliation; email addresses, phone numbers and (if possible) Skype contacts. If you are shortlisted, your referees will be asked to produce a reference letter on a short notice.

The deadline for applications is 15 March 2020.

What happens after you apply

A selection panel will be drawn from ROAPE’s Editorial Working Group.

Selection will proceed in two stages. A short list will be drawn up. If you are short-listed, your referees will be asked to produce reference letters. You will also be asked to submit a more extended account of your research proposal (no more than 1000 words), under the same headings as above, but expanding on the research problem and the key research questions. It should also include a timeline showing your research plan and a budget of how the grant would be used. This may include costs incurred for travel, accommodation, subsistence, equipment (for example a voice recorder), research permits, research assistance, and/or photocopying and printing.

Assessment

The two successful candidates will be offered some limited mentoring to support their efforts. Mentorship will be provided by a member of the Editorial Working Group, via email and skype meetings. At the end of a one-year research period, the candidate must submit a one-page report with a summary account of what has been achieved.

The final requirement is to submit for consideration to ROAPE an article (of no more than 8000 words) based on the research funded by the grant. No guarantee of publication can be given, as the article will be peer-reviewed according to the standard procedure followed by the journal.

Payment of the grant

The grant is £3,000 and will be paid in three tranches. Upon acceptance of a research proposal, ROAPE will disburse 1/3 of the grant (£1,000) to successful candidates to contribute towards direct research expenses. The second tranche (£1,000) will be paid after submission of the first-year report. Part of the second tranche can be claimed in advance if the first tranche has been used up, upon provision of all receipts of expenses incurred upon.

The third tranche (£1,000) will be paid following the formal submission of an article to ROAPE.

Deadlines

1. Deadline for applications: 15 March 2020.
2. Selection of short list: 20 April 2020, with notification to short-listed candidates.
3. Submission of extended proposals from short-listed candidates: 1 June 2020
4. Final selection and notification to successful candidates: 1 July 2020 – payment of first tranche of grant (1/3 of the total, £1,000)
5. Start of research period and mentorship programme: 1 July 2020
6. First-year summary report: 1 July 2021(payment of second tranche)
7. Formal submission of article to ROAPE: no later than 1 July 2022 (payment of third tranche)

At the end of a one-year research period, the researcher must submit a report with a summary account of what has been achieved. The final requirement is to submit for consideration to ROAPE an article (of no more than 8000 words) based on the research funded by the grant. The disbursement of the third tranche of the grant is conditional upon submission of the manuscript. No guarantee of publication can be given, as the article will be peer-reviewed according to the standard procedure followed by the journal.

If you are in doubt about your eligibility or require further information just get in touch at: lcmrs@roape.net

The Editorial Working Group of the Review of African Political Economy is pleased to announce the 2019 winner of the Ruth First prize. The prize was awarded to Paddington Mutekwe for his article ‘Resistance and repression in Zimbabwe: a case study of Zimplats mine workers’. The article is available to access for free here.

ROAPE awards an annual prize of £1000 for the most outstanding article written by an African author and published in the previous year’s volume of four issues. The author must be published in ROAPE for the first time. The selection is made by a panel drawn from the Editorial Working Group. All eligible articles are considered, but in selection we give priority to early-career authors who are African nationals resident in Africa. Successful authors will be contacted by ROAPE.

Examples of the Ruth First Prize in recent years:

2012: Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou : “The political economy of oil and ‘rebellion’ in Nigeria’s Niger Delta.” Vol 39 (No. 132) June 2012

2013: Joseph A. Yaro: “Neoliberal globalisation and evolving local traditional institutions: implications for access to resources in rural northern Ghana.” Vol 40 (No. 137) 2013

2014: Carlos Nuno Castel-Branco: “Growth, capital accumulation and economic porosity in Mozambique, Social losses, private gains.” Vol 41 (No. 143, Supplemental 1) December 2014

2016: Asanda Benya’s “The Invisible Hands: Women in Marikana.” Vol 42 (No. 146) 2016