My name is Jonathan Faull; I am a thirty-one year old citizen of South Africa and it is to this country, and continent, and her project of democratic consolidation and economic development that my career and its goals are intimately wedded. I have a demonstrated commitment to public service as evidenced throughout my working life. I believe that the Kennedy School MPP will complement and deepen my political, economic policy and analytical skills base and consequently enhance my capacity for contributing to the consolidation, and vibrancy of democracy in my country and region.

In March 2004, I was appointed to my current full-time position with the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), as Political Researcher for the Political Information and Monitoring Service (PIMS). IDASA is one of Africa’s foremost civil society organisations, working in a range of countries, on a wide spectrum of issues broadly relating to democratic transition and the strengthening of democratic institutions. In this capacity my individual research focuses on South African electoral politics and strategy; inter-and intra- party politics; the internal politics of the ruling Tripartite Alliance (African National Congress (ANC), South African Communist Party (SACP), and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)); the politics of the Western Cape; floor-crossing; and the interface of ANC-led state institutions with the constitutional structures of the ANC and its alliance partners. Together with my colleagues in PIMS I have contributed to a number of policy assessments, advocated for policy alternatives, participated in legislative processes, and have formally helped to table aspects of government and party policy.

I hold an undergraduate degree in Political Studies and Economics, and an honours degree in Political Philosophy and Social Theory, both attained at the University of Cape Town.

For more information about me and my goals please view a copy of the personal statement I submitted to Harvard, and a list of selected publications.

If you would like to view my academic transcript and curriculum vitae, or contact my academic or professional referees, please contact me directly at joni.faull@gmail.com