Biographical Information

Lisa Thompson is a political economist and full Professor in the School of Government at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Since 1998 she has led participatory, community orientated research aimed at amplifying the development dynamics and contradictions between local and global in  international development and participatory democratic development initiatives. While located within international global political economy and development debates and dynamics, the research focus developed over past decades includes a strong action based component including both mutual learning and advocacy work with grassroots community groups, civil society, non-governmental organisations, social movements and ad hoc forms of community activism and mobilization from below. Lisa was the Director of the African Centre for Citizenship and Democracy from 2007 until 2022

Projects from 2018 to the present include a focus on BRICS and Global South development dynamics, funded by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS); and currently action based participatory development research on Special Economic Zones in South Africa, funded by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES).

Recent Publications Include

Thompson, L. 2019. BRICS Civil Society Initiatives: Towards the Inclusion of Affected Communities and Collective Development? Third World Thematics, online Third World Quarterly Journal(special edition Affectedness in Global Governance and International Law), Vol 3, No 6.

Thompson, L. Tapscott, C. Tsolekile de Wet, P, 2018. “An Exploration of the Concept of Community and its Impact on Participatory Governance Policy and Service Delivery in Poor Areas of Cape Town, South Africa”, Politikon, Vol 44, No 4. 

Thompson, L and Tsolekile de Wet, P. 2017. BRICS Development Strategies: Exploring the meaning of BRICS ‘community’ and ‘collective action’ in the Context of BRICS State Led Cooperation in South Africa, Chinese Political Science Review, Vol 2, No 1.

Thompson, L and Tsolekile de Wet, P. 2017. BRICS Development Strategies: Exploring the meaning of BRICS ‘community’ and ‘collective action’ in the Context of BRICS State Led Cooperation in South Africa, Chinese Political Science Review, Vol 2, No 1 (peer reviewed).

Thompson, L. Tapscott, C. Tsolekile de Wet, P, 2017. “An Exploration of the Concept of Community and its Impact on Participatory Governance Policy and Service Delivery in Poor Areas of Cape Town, South Africa”, Politikon, Vol 44, No 4 (online) (peer reviewed).”