CLC’s visiting research fellow delivers a seminar in Ethiopia

Dr. Jan Erk, who is currently a visiting research fellow at the Community Law Centre, has just completed teaching a short seminar on post-conflict settlements and federalism to Ethiopian doctoral candidates and lecturers at the Institute of Peace and Security of Addis Ababa University.

Dr Erk is Universitair Hoofd Docent (Senior lecturer/Reader) in Comparative Politics. He has research interests in various areas of Comparative Politics, including federalism, nationalism, ethnic conflict, territorial politics, political cleavages, public policy, constitutional politics, interest groups, religion and secularism, international and domestic levels of analysis, immigration, far right parties, European integration and comparative historical research. What unites these is an interest in questions of unity and diversity.

His work on these topics has appeared in numerous peer-reviewed journals. In addition to his research output, Dr. Erk has also been awarded with the2008 casimir prize for the best teacher of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences.

Community Law Centre professors Jaap de Visser and Nico Steytler had previously taught a seminars on federalism and decentralisation at the Institute of Federalism of the same university in the past 3 years. This further strengthens the links between the University of the Western Cape and Institute of Peace and Security of Addis Ababa University. It also highlights the leading role the Community Law Centre plays in reform initiatives throughout the African continent.