German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

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Dr. Tevin Tafese

Research Fellow | Research Team Spokesperson

Dr. Tevin Tafese
German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

DEEN
  • Research & Transfer
    • The Mission of the GIGA
    • Comparative Area Studies
    • Policy Exchange and GIGA Berlin Office
    • Featured Topics and Countries
    • GIGA Experts
    • Research Projects
  • Publications
    • Peer-Reviewed Articles
    • Books
    • Contributions
    • Research Data
    • GIGA Focus
      • Specific Editions of the GIGA Focus Series
      • Thematic Branches of the GIGA Focus Series
    • GIGA Working Papers
    • GIGA Journal Family
  • Events
    • Conferences and Workshops
    • GIGA Talk
    • GIGA Forum
  • The GIGA
    • Management and Boards
    • Regional Institutes
      • GIGA Institute for African Affairs
      • GIGA Institute for Asian Studies
      • GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies
      • GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies
    • Research Programmes
      • Accountability and Participation
      • Peace and Security
      • Globalisation and Development
      • Global Orders and Foreign Policies
    • GIGA Library
    • Service Departments
    • GIGA Doctoral Programme
    • Team GIGA
    • Contact / Directions
  • Press
  • Career
  • Short CV
  • Current Research
  • Countries and Regions
  • Research Programmes
  • Dissertation
  • Publications
  • Projects
  • Media
  • Lectures
  • Teaching

Short CV

  • 2022-2026: Research Project Coordinator, Project "Research Network Sustainable Global Supply Chains"

  • 2022-2023: Research Project Coordinator, Project "Platforms and Online Workers in India and Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Decent Work"

  • 2019-2022: Research Associate, Project "Research Support to the Special Initiative 'Decent Work for Just Transition' (RéUsSITE)")

  • 2017-2019: Research Associate, Project "Risk, Investment, and Poverty: Dynamics of Micro- and Small Firms in Developing Countries"

  • 2017-2025: PhD at the University of Göttingen and the GIGA Doctoral Programme

  • 2015-2017: Master's (MA) degree International Economics at the University of Goettingen

  • 2011-2014: Bachelor's (BA) degree in Socioeconomics at the University of Hamburg and San Diego State University

Current Research

  • Development Economics, Labour Markets, FDI, Trade, and Structural Change

  • Digitalization, Technology, Venture Capital, and Entrepreneurship

Countries and Regions

  • Global South, in particular Africa

Research Programmes

  • Globalisation and Development

Dissertation

  • Structural Change, Foreign Investment, and Labour Markets in Developing Economies

Dr. Tevin Tafese

Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

T. +49 (40) 42825-550[email protected]

Publications

GIGA Focus Afrika | 1/2026

Ten Things to Watch in Africa in 2026

Africa enters 2026 at a crossroads: entrenched autocrats clash with Gen Z protests, debt crises threaten major economies, Western retreat meets Chinese and Russian expansion. Yet African states will seek to leverage critical minerals and strategic partnerships to assert agency amid global rivalries.

Dr. Tevin Tafese

Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

Prof. Dr. Christian von Soest

Lead Research Fellow / Head of Policy Exchange and Berlin Office

Digital Cooperation with Global Partners - Policy Study | 04/2025

Advancing EU–Africa Digital Partnerships amid Growing Geopolitical Competition

Africa’s digital transformation is accelerating, amid growing global competition. This study explores how the EU, China, and the US are striving to shape Africa’s digital future—focusing on infrastructure, innovation, and governance—and offers recommendations for stronger EU–Africa cooperation.

Dr. Tevin Tafese

Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

Edited Volume | German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) | 02/2025

Decent Work in Global Supply Chains: Sustainable Global Supply Chains Annual Report 2024

This report synthesises cutting-edge research on labour standards in global supply chains. Authored by researchers from the Research Network Sustainable Global Supply Chains, it examines the impact of global supply chains on decent work, sectoral variations, and the implications of evolving due diligence regulations.

Prof. Dr. Jann Lay

Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Globalisation and Development"

Dr. Tevin Tafese

Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

Africa Spectrum | 01/2025

Africa's Emergent Tech Sector: Characteristics and Development Implications

Africa’s tech sector is booming, with start-ups attracting funding in key underdeveloped industries like finance, retail, and transport. This study explores how digital technologies are tailored to local needs, their impact on development, and the potential of platforms like mobile money and e-commerce. More evidence is needed to shape effective policies.

Prof. Dr. Jann Lay

Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Globalisation and Development"

Dr. Tevin Tafese

Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

Journal of Development Economics | 2025

From Fields to Factories: Special Economic Zones, Foreign Direct Investment, and Labour Markets in Vietnam

Vietnam's remarkable integration into global value chains (GVCs) has been fueled by the expansion of over 300 Special Economic Zones (SEZs)—and this paper sheds light on their true and overall very positive impact on local labor markets.

Dr. Tevin Tafese

Prof. Dr. Jann Lay

Van Tran

Research Projects

Research Project | 01/02/2024 - 31/12/2025

Digital Transformation Lab (DigiTraL), Phase II: Digitalisation as Chance for Cooperation with Global Partners

GIGA‘s Digital Transformation Lab (DigiTraL), funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, analyses the political drivers and real-world consequences of the digital transformation taking place around the world. The Global South in particular is an important actor in and shaper of this transformation.
FFO, 2024-2026

Research Project | 01/07/2022 - 31/03/2023

Platforms and Online Workers in India and Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Decent Work

Technological advances and digitalisation are rapidly transforming the world of work, and the emergence of online labour platforms is one manifestation of this. The resulting labour market outcomes and dynamics are not well understood, particularly in the Global South. This project consists of a series of four studies that contribute to understanding the characteristics and dynamics of online work in India and selected African countries.
GIZ, 2022-2023

Research Project | 01/09/2020 - 31/07/2025

Research Network Sustainable Global Supply Chains

The aim of the research network is to contribute to the sustainability of global supply chains through research. It initiates new research, pools the expertise of leading scientists around the world and makes new findings accessible for political decision-makers and other stakeholders. The network is hosted by a consortium of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) , the GIGA, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).
BMZ, 2020-2025

Research Project | 01/08/2019 - 31/12/2025

Research Support to the Special Initiative “Decent Work for a Just Transition“ (RéUsSITE)

With the African population expected to double by 2050, 20 million new jobs are needed annually. The increasing importance of employment creation led the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to establish the Special Initiative “Decent Work for a Just Transition“. The GIGA offers research support and advice to this initiative.
BMZ, 2019-2025

Media Contributions

Research Network Sustainable Global Supply Chains | Other | 14/02/2024

Do not stop European supply chain regulation

In a statement, Jann Lay and Tevin Tafese argue with colleagues from the "Research Network Sustainable Global Supply Chains" why European regulation for sustainable supply chains makes sense.

Lectures

Akademie der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart | 08/12/2023 - 10/12/2023

Weingartener Afrikagespräche 2023

Organiser: Akademie der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart Dr. Tevin Tafese (Speaker)

Dr. Tevin Tafese

Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

Other | 02/10/2023 - 03/10/2023

Neue Wege, neues Wissen: Forschung und Journalismus global und digital

Bürgerfest zum Tag der Deutschen Einheit., Hamburg Désirée Marlen Reder (Moderator, Panelist), Dr. Nora Kürzdörfer (Panelist), Dr. Tevin Tafese (Panelist), Udo Schmidt (Moderator), Philipp Abresch (Panelist), Philipp Weber (Panelist), Düzen Tekkal (Panelist)

Digitale Medien haben die Wissensvermittlung revolutioniert. Forscher:innen des GIGA und Journalisten des NDR werden bei der Gesprächsrunde am 2. Oktober über ihre Arbeit sowie neue Informationswege und Formen der Wissensvermittlung berichten.

Désirée Marlen Reder

Dr. Nora Kürzdörfer

Dr. Tevin Tafese

Udo Schmidt

Philipp Abresch

Philipp Weber

Düzen Tekkal

Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) | 22/09/2023

EU-AfriTech - Innovation und Unternehmertum auf und mit dem afrikanischen Kontinent

Organiser: Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Dr. Tevin Tafese (Speaker)

Dr. Tevin Tafese

Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

Teaching

Teaching | University of Göttingen | 2021

Controversies in Development Economics

University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany

Teaching | Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin | 2019

What is the Role of the Unofficial Economy in Economic Development?

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Berlin Germany

Teaching | University of Göttingen | 2018

Controversies in Development Economics

University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany

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