Dr Bosco Govantes Romero

Dr. Bosco Govantes is joining the University of Exeter as a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, and Anthropology. He is Associate Professor of Political Science at Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, Spain. His research focuses on comparative politics, democratisation and autocratisation, political parties and political behaviour, with particular expertise on Tunisia and North Africa.

His current research develops three interconnected areas of inquiry. The first examines the role and impact of leading religiously inspired political parties in democratic transitions, with a particular interest in how their strategies and political behaviour shape processes of democratisation and democratic breakdown. The second explores the political consequences of political dissatisfaction, including its impact on electoral behaviour, populism, political mobilisation and processes of autocratisation. The third investigates the political impact of the Palestinian cause on contemporary Tunisian domestic politics.

His research has been published in journals including Democratization, The Journal of North African Studies and the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. Recent work includes “Voting with Dissatisfaction: An Analysis of the 2019 Parliamentary Election in Tunisia” (Democratization, 2025) and “The Tunisian Transition: A Winding Road to Democracy” (The Journal of North African Studies, 2023). His earlier research on Euro-Mediterranean relations includes “Is Morocco EU’s Model Student at the ENP? An Analysis of Democracy and Human Rights Progress” (British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 2020).

His broader research interests include comparative democratisation, democratic backsliding, electoral behaviour, populism, political parties, and the politics of the Maghreb. He is particularly interested in developing comparative and interdisciplinary collaborations on these topics.

Email: jbgovrom@upo.es

Further information about his research and publications is available on his personal website: www.boscogovantes.com