Interested in joining GovInn?
That’s great news! We invite you to read this document and then send a paragraph about yourself, how you think you might benefit from being part of GovInn, and what you think you’ll bring to GovInn to info@governanceinnovation.org. The GovInn team will then give your application careful consideration and let you know the way forward.
1. Who Are We?
The Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn) is an inter-Faculty, inter-University research centre founded at the University of Pretoria in 2012. Cirad, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) formalised their partnership with GovInn in 2015 and 2018, respectively. The Centre is currently housed in the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship (CAS) on the Hatfield Campus of the University of Pretoria, and has an office at the School of Government on the UWC campus in Cape Town.
2. Our Vision And Mission
The vision of the Centre is that of a world class, multi- and transdisciplinary, collaborative, academic institution, focusing on governance innovation in Africa and globally. For the next three years this vision is specifically applied to ‘emancipatory governance’ as a means of exploring ‘innovative’ governance.
The mission of GovInn is i) to foster awareness and understanding of governance innovation, and ii) to contribute to such innovation through its national and international engagements. The mission of GovInn is achieved at the theoretical and practical level, through research and expertise, capacity building and training, community engagement and the dissemination of information.
3. How We Organise Ourselves
Being constitutionally based in the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Pretoria, linked with the University’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, CIRAD and UWC, the Centre is a transdisciplinary research organisation that spans departments, faculties, centres and institutions through its existing partnerships. The Centre is managed by a Director and Executive Committee reporting to the Steering Committee but internally operates according to a flat, non-hierarchical, inclusive, participatory governance structure, which can be described as a ‘sociocracy’. The Executive Committee and all other contracted staff of the Centre share in decision-making responsibilities through consent. The main attribute of this system is a focus on deliverables and outputs rather than on the individuals themselves.
4. Our Projects
This figure offers an overview of our projects. You can read up about these on our website.
5. Our Publication Series
The Centre runs its own publication series which includes a Working Paper and a Policy Brief series. The ‘GovInn Publishing Team’ (GPT) is responsible for and coordinates the review, formatting and publication of these series. Historically, the Centre has published a ‘Rethinking Development’ Working Paper series together with the Department of Agricultural Economics. The Centre anticipates developing a ‘Rethinking Governance’ Working Paper series to reflect its ongoing research on governance innovation and emancipatory governance.
6. Our Research Networks
GovInn is dedicated to pursuing and further developing strong and effective relationships with its current partners, as well as other institutions such as FABI and Future Africa at UP, and the School of Government and the Institute for Social Development at UWC. The Centre is fully engaged in academic life through teaching and supervision of honour, master and doctorate students.
7. How We Monitor, Evaluate And Report On Our Activities
Within GovInn, a peer review mechanism replaces performance evaluations. Peers report and receive feedback from one another based on a specific template on a six-month basis. Evaluation and monitoring are conducted within the circles, and engagement and encouragement through support and achievable goal setting are prioritised over dehumanised measurement of performance and productivity. GovInn researchers remain accountable to their various parent institutions through their performance evaluations. The peer review mechanism is light on reporting but high on engagement between researchers. A summary is shared with the ExCom and accessible on-line for all GovInners. Where necessary, the ExCom engages with researchers to resolve conflict or performance issues.
8. Where You Fit In
GovInn doesn’t, in and of itself, employ any staff. All staff are either seconded to us from other organisations or academic departments, or are funded externally through research fellowships or projects. What holds us together is our common interest in innovative governance. We imagine GovInn as a hub where researchers with similar research visions can partner together in meaningful ways. We invite postgraduates, postdoctoral fellows, academic staff and members of other centres and organisations to join us in whatever capacity and move the work of GovInn forward. Because we don’t have full time staff employed by the Centre, we need some things put in place that ensure that we function together as a team. You can join GovInn as i) a full time researcher or postdoctoral fellow (minimum of 6 months), ii) research associate or iii) a postgraduate student.