Andrew Crawford

Andrew Crawford is a Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), specifically within the GIGA Institute for African Affairs, where he also serves as a Doctoral Researcher since 2020. He has been with GIGA since 2017, initially as a Student Research Assistant and then as a Research Fellow since 2021. He concurrently holds a Research Fellow position at the Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine since 2014. He is actively involved in research projects such as the Monitoring System and Transfer Platform for Radicalization (MOTRA) and teaches at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy.

• M.Sc. in Politics, Economics and Philosophy, University of Hamburg
• B.Com. (Honours) in Economics and Finance, Monash University

Andrew Crawford's research centers on development policy, the impacts of digitalization, and economic inequality, with a strong focus on digital financial inclusion through microfinance, cash transfers, and mobile money. He also investigates democratization, social cohesion, polarization, radicalization, elite use of social media, and institutional trust, primarily in Cambodia and Kenya. His work critically evaluates how digital tools influence governance, inclusion, and social dynamics in the Global South. He is particularly interested in decolonizing research practices and enhancing digital sovereignty.

His recent publications explore themes such as ethical research in German social sciences, digital transparency in Kenyan elections, and the monitoring of social media during international events. These works reflect a consistent trend toward leveraging digital data and infrastructure to understand political and social transformation, especially in African contexts. He emphasizes ethical, collaborative, and transparent methodologies in research.

Andrew Crawford has contributed to discussions on research ethics and digital sovereignty through academic presentations and media interviews. Notably, he has spoken on whether Kenya could serve as a model for electoral technology and is organizing a 2025 workshop on digital rights in Africa.

He advises on research ethics and digital governance, particularly through his role in the MOTRA project and conference presentations. While no specific grants are listed, his involvement in federally funded projects in Germany and the U.S. suggests grant-supported research. He has organized and contributed to academic workshops and panels, promoting ethical and inclusive research practices.

Andrew Crawford is a key contributor to the GIGASet Research Data Management platform as its lead developer, indicating a strong technical and data management component to his research. He is also involved in the MOTRA project, a research network focused on radicalization, which serves as a central hub for early detection and prevention of extremism.