The Institute for Comparative Politics with a focus on politics and society in Africa is embedded in the Otto Suhr Institute of Freie Universität Berlin. Its research and teaching concentrates on parallel and competing conceptions of order in contemporary African Societies (at different levels: local, national, transnational) and related dynamics of social transformation and political rule. The professorship is closely linked to the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS)” and funded by the Berlin Senate Department.

The SCRIPTS Cluster is a research consortium that analyses the contemporary controversies about liberal democracy and the market economy. The term “liberal script” relates to a set of ideas and institutional conventions about how society is organized based on the core principle of individual self-determination. The main purpose of SCRIPTS is to understand why the liberal model and order has fallen into crisis despite its political, economic, and social achievements.

SCRIPTS has been operating since 2019 and is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) until the end of 2025. The Cluster is hosted by the Freie Universität Berlin and unites eight major Berlin-based research institutes. Cluster research teams are made up of doctoral researchers, postdoctoral researchers, and professors from social, political, and area studies. SCRIPTS is well connected with research institutes and knowledge exchange partners throughout the world, including political and cultural organizations, as well as civil society actors. In addition, SCRIPTS brings renowned visiting scholars from all over the world to Berlin.

In addition to the research in the Cluster of Excellence, the institute for Politics and Society in Africa also includes the EU-funded project "Do Legislatures Enhance Democracy in Africa? (DLEDA)", which examines the role of parliaments in seven different countries. It uses both quantitative methods (survey research, social networks, text data) and qualitative interviews. Other projects deal with political parties and party systems.

The selection process is done according to the SCRIPTS Diversity Rules & Guidelines: https://www.scripts-berlin.eu/about-us/Diversity 

Job description:
- Data management and data coding
- Literature research and review (German, English, French)
- Support in the production of literature and research reports
- Support for teaching (maintenance of courses in Blackboard)
- Support in homepage maintenance

Desirable:
- studies in social Sciences and/or area studies with focus on Africa
- Fluency in German and English; French language skills
- Knowledge in one or various of the following research fields: Democratization, political institutions, comparative politics with a regional focus on Africa
- Skills in Excel, additional skills in R or STATA
- Skills in MS Office, Adobe CS, Endnote
- Experiences in Content Management Systems (Typo 3)
- Communicative and organizational skills, team competency
- Intercultural, gender, and diversity competency