Political and economic history of contemporary Sub-Saharan
Africa with particular reference to Southern Africa; African
political systems and democratisation process; enviromental
history, land tenure reform and rural development policies;
political and economic history of Zimbabwe.
Current research activities are: Sustainable rural livelihoods,
land reform, poverty reduction strategies, HIV/AIDS in
sub-Saharan Africa
The research interest investigate the issues of sustainable
rural development, of agrarian reforms and of governance of natural
resources in sub-Saharan Africa, questions which are linked to the
wider debate on economic and social development, of political
emancipation, and on the policies of poverty reduction. Today, many
initiatives of local development in rural areas are based on the
role of the communities and on ideas, practices and policies whose
aim is to give to rural areas inhabitants a greater involvement in
the management of natural resources (included the land for
agricultural use); in particular to give empowerment to local
communities in the sustainable exploitation of the natural
environment. Three issues, above all, are relevant and are linked
to the major research topics: the land question and land reforms;
the policies of poverty reduction; the role of decentralization.
The current research activities are discussing initiatives of local
decentralization based on the empowerment of local communities and
of their participation seen as new means for having access to a
full citizenship and for the reduction of poverty. The
administrative and political decentralization and the land reform
programmes currently under implementation in almost all African
countries are relevant to analyze the relationship between
institution building, development, and poverty reduction. The
crisis in rural areas is particularly meaningful in Africa:
therefore the debate is focusing on the possible relationship
between land reforms, decentralization and poverty reduction
poverty. The ongoing research activity aims at studying which are
the main effects of decentralization, land reforms, access to
natural resources management for rural communities in the framework
of the programmes of poverty reduction, in order to deepen the
knowledge about the quality of democratization process as
enhancement of both reduction poverty and a tool for the political
inclusion of rural communities.
