Giovanni Carbone (PhD, London School of Economics) is Head of the ISPI Africa Programme and Professor of Political Science at the Università degli Studi di Milano. His research focus is the comparative study of politics, geopolitics and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa, with particular regard to political institutions. Giovanni was previously a Research Associate at the Crisis States Programme of the London School of Economics and the Principal Investigator of a European Research Council (ERC) project. He edited and co-authored a report commissioned by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Italy’s policy in Africa, focusing on business opportunities in emerging sub-Saharan economies (La Politica dell’Italia in Africa. Contesto, interessi e scenari della presenza politica e economica italiana nell’Africa subsahariana, ISPI, 2013). His publications include: Political Leadership in Africa, Cambridge University Press (forthcoming 2018; co-authored with A.Pellegata); “Are lions democrats? The im­pact of democratisation on economic growth in Africa, 1980-2010” (Democratization, 2016, co-authored with V. Memoli and L. Quartapelle); “Leoni d’Africa. Come l’Italia può intercettare la crescita subsahariana” (2015, co-authored with M. Montanini); “L’Africa. Gli stati, la politica, i conflitti” (2012, II ed.)