Maja Bovcon - West Africa Analyst
I am a senior analyst
at Verisk Maplecroft. I
examine political, economic, social and security situation
in West African countries and evaluate development and
investment opportunities in this fast-changing
environment.
Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular West and Francophone Africa, has been the focus of my research for the past decade. I hold a PhD in Politics and International Relations and a Master's in African Studies, both from the University of Oxford. My articles were published in peer-reviewed journals and magazines such as the Foreign Policy. I delivered consultancy services to the Foreign Office of the UK government and acted as an expert witness for the U.S. and U.K.-based international law firms. My analyses were quoted by major news agencies including Bloomberg, Reuters and France24. I fluently speak English and French.
I am always keen to collaborate with policy makers, non-governmental organizations and private entities to explain the implications of my research.
Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular West and Francophone Africa, has been the focus of my research for the past decade. I hold a PhD in Politics and International Relations and a Master's in African Studies, both from the University of Oxford. My articles were published in peer-reviewed journals and magazines such as the Foreign Policy. I delivered consultancy services to the Foreign Office of the UK government and acted as an expert witness for the U.S. and U.K.-based international law firms. My analyses were quoted by major news agencies including Bloomberg, Reuters and France24. I fluently speak English and French.
I am always keen to collaborate with policy makers, non-governmental organizations and private entities to explain the implications of my research.
Contact
dr. Maja Bovcon
mb@wa-analyst.com
mb@wa-analyst.com
Curriculum Vitae
Selected Papers & Articles
EDUCATION:
| 2012 | DPhil in Politics, University of Oxford, UK |
| 2006 | MSc in African Studies, University of Oxford, UK |
| 2003 | BA in Comparative Literature and French Language, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts |
ACADEMIC AND WORK EXPERIENCE:
| 2014 - | Senior
Analyst, Verisk Maplecroft |
| 2015 | Briefed the British Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire and the Africa Research Group at Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on the forthcoming presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire, September 2015 |
| 2014 | Briefed the outgoing British Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire on the country’s political and security situation, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), June 2014 |
| 2013 - 2015 | Contry Specialist, West Africa Coordination Group, Amnesty International |
| 2013 - 2014 | Adjunct Assistant Professor, Hofstra University; Course title: ‘Geography of Africa’ |
| 2013 | Consultant, Ergo |
| 2012 | International Crisis Group, Dakar office, September - December 2012 |
| 2012 | Briefed the outgoing British
Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire on Franco-Ivorian relations, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), May 2012 |
| 2012 | Expert witness, Bindmans LLP |
| 2011 | Updated entry on Gabon in Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations |
| 2011 - | Peer reviewed for European Journal of International Relations (EJIR), Journal of Modern African Studies (JMAS) |
| 2010 - 2012 | Adjunct teaching position, New York State University at Stony Brook; Course titles: ‘History of post-colonial Africa’, ‘Introduction to modern African History’ |
| 2007 - 2009 | Visiting Student Researcher at University of California at Berkeley, USA |
| 2008 | Expert witness, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP |
| 2007 - 2008 | Fieldwork in Côte d'Ivoire and France Interviewed representatives of various French and Ivorian ministries, Chambers of Commerce, French expatriate associations, representatives of the French Embassy, French military operation Licorne in Côte d'Ivoire, the UN members and many others. |
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES:
|
– ‘The progress in establishing the rule of law in Côte d'Ivoire under Ouattara's presidency’, Canadian Journal of African Studies, Vol. 48, No. 2, pp. 185-202 (2014) – ‘Françafrique and the Regime Theory’, European Journal of International Relations (EJIR), Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 5-26 (2013) – ‘French Repatriates from Côte d'Ivoire and Resilience of Françafrique’, Modern and Contemporary France, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 283-299 (2009) – ‘France's Conflict Resolution Strategy in Côte d'Ivoire and its Ethical Implications’, African Studies Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 1 (2009) |
NON PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES:
|
– ‘After Gbagbo, Then What?’, Foreign Policy, 7 April 2011. – ‘Der Wahlverlierer schlägt zurück’, Welt-sichten, April 2011. – ‘Ivory Coast: civil war continues?’, Life Week, 12 April 2011. |
INVITED TALKS:
|
– ‘Côte d'Ivoire's 2015 Elections’, Chatham House, September 29, 2015, London – ‘Security Challenges in West Africa in 2015’, University of Chichester, March 5, 2015, Chichester, UK – ‘Why repeated elections don't always lead to better democracy: the case of Côte d'Ivoire and the need for stronger institutions’, Johns Hopkins SAIS, February 22, 2012, Washington D.C. – ‘The 2010 presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire: was it worth the wait?' Invited seminar, University of Cambridge, January 24, 2011, Cambridge, UK – ‘Pitfalls of power-sharing in Côte d'Ivoire', workshop on ‘Power sharing in comparative perspective’, University of Oxford, November 26, 2009, Oxford, UK |
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS:
|
– ‘The progress of judicial reforms in Côte d'Ivoire under Ouattara's presidency’, African Studies Association (ASA) Annual Meeting, November 29-December 1, 2012, Philadelphia, PA – ‘A comparative analysis of France's military interventions in Libya and Côte d'Ivoire in 2011’, International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Convention, April 1-4, 2012, San Diego, CA – ‘Why repeated elections don't always lead to better democracy: the case of Côte d'Ivoire and the need for stronger institutions’, African Studies Association (ASA) Annual Meeting, November 17-19, 2011, Washington D.C. – ‘Elite interviews and triangulation: fieldwork experience in France and Côte d'Ivoire’, Short Course ‘Improving Your Field Research Anywhere: Methods, Practices, Strategies, and Technologies’ at American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Meeting, September 1-4, 2011, Seattle, WA – ‘The 2010 presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire: the end of the Ivorian crisis?’, International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Convention, March 16-19, 2011, Montreal, Quebec, Canada – ‘Interaction of domestic and systemic factors in shaping France's African policy’, International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Convention, February 17-20, 2010, New Orleans, LA – ‘African “ownership”: between theory and practice’, Western Political Science Association (WPSA) Annual Meeting, March 19-21, 2009, Vancouver, BC, Canada – ‘French repatriates from Côte d'Ivoire: unwanted colonial legacy?’, ISA-West Annual Conference, September 26-27, 2008, San Francisco, CA – ‘Ivoirité: inequality at the intersection of nationhood and economy in Côte d'Ivoire’, American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Meeting, August 28-31, 2008, Boston, MA – ‘What is wrong with Ivoirité: disputes over citizenship in Côte d'Ivoire’, Western Political Science Association (WPSA) Annual Meeting, March 20-22, 2008, San Diego, CA – ‘France's Conflict Resolution in Côte d'Ivoire and its Ethical Implications’, ISA-West Annual Conference, September 28-29, 2007, San Francisco, CA – ‘France's Conflict Resolution Strategy in Côte d'Ivoire: Success or Failure?’, Conference of the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy (AGSIRD), June 20-21, 2007, Paris, France – ‘The confrontation of cultures as a condition for the democratization of globalization process’, Annual conference of the Slovenian Political Science Association, May 26-27, 2005, Portorož, Slovenia |
OTHER SKILLS:
|
Languages: Slovene, French, English (active); Italian, Croatian, Serbian (passive) Statistical software: Stata |
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES (preprint text available upon request):
|
– ‘The progress in establishing the rule of law in Côte d'Ivoire under Ouattara's presidency’, Canadian Journal of African Studies, Vol. 48, No. 2, pp. 185-202 (2014) – ‘Françafrique and the Regime Theory’, European Journal of International Relations (EJIR), Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 5-26 (2013) – ‘French Repatriates from Côte d'Ivoire and Resilience of Françafrique’, Modern and Contemporary France, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 283-299 (2009) – ‘France's Conflict Resolution Strategy in Côte d'Ivoire and its Ethical Implications’, African Studies Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 1 (2009) |
NON PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES:
|
– ‘After Gbagbo, Then What?’, Foreign Policy, 7 April 2011. – ‘Der Wahlverlierer schlägt zurück’, Welt-sichten, April 2011. – ‘Ivory Coast: civil war continues?’, Life Week, 12 April 2011. |
