David Booth is currently director of the Africa Power and Politics Programme, a consortium research initiative supported by DFID and Irish Aid. He holds a PhD in sociology, has edited two multidisciplinary development studies journals and has undertaken research and commissioned work on several countries of Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. Before joining ODI, he was Professor of Development Studies at the University of Wales Swansea. His current interests centre on institutional diversity in African governance and the implications for international development policies.