January Digest: 2015 Elections, property tax and sovereign bonds

New economics-themed research plus our elections interactive View this email in your browser Especially busy? Here are our top picks for this month: "How Property Would Benefit Africa", by Nara Monkam and Mick Moore 2015 Elections in Africa: Interactive map, timeline and further reading "Africa [Debt] Rising", by Paul Adams Read on to find out more about our latest efforts to question orthodoxy, promote best practice and highlight ideas that have worked in Africa.   Dear Friends and Colleagues, January was a productive month for our economics-themed research. Nara Monkam, of the Pretoria-based African Tax Administration Forum, spoke alongside Mick Moore, from the International Centre for Tax and Development, at our launch event for "Why Property Tax Would Benefit Africa". We also released "Africa [Debt] Rising", an overview of sovereign bond issuance across the continent. 2015 will see nearly a dozen African countries hold elections. To help you keep abreast of the latest political developments on the continent, we have launched an interactive elections resource page, featuring a map, timeline, and suggested reading box. The page will be updated on a rolling basis. Ahead of next week's vote in Nigeria, we've published analyses looking at the unique dynamics at play in Lagos and also what sets the 2015 election apart from previous votes. Post-election, our own Paul Adams will be speaking at Africa Confidential's major conference on Nigeria in March. We have also compiled a list of key issues to watch in 2015, ranging from urban infrastructure to Ebola to a change in leadership at the African Development Bank. Looking ahead, ARI will focus on land law in East Africa and herbal medicine in Nigeria. We will continue to examine the political dynamics in Tanzania as the country prepares for a constitutional referendum in April and general elections in October. We will also be following up our successful 'Flying Donkeys' event with a publication on technological advances in Africa.  In case you missed it, all of the resources from our December launch event of our Counterpoint on Somaliland's political transition are freely available on our website.  On a final note, after a happy and productive year with a great team, I am sadly leaving ARI in February. Details on the communications vacancy will be on our website soon. Best wishes,   Melanie Archer Communications Officer, Africa Research Institute     Facebook Twitter Website LinkedIn YouTube Google Plus Email Copyright © 2015 Africa Research Institute, All rights reserved. Africa Research Institute mailing list Our mailing address is: 55 Tufton St, London, SW1P 3QL