Temitayo Isaac Odeyemi

Profile

I hold BSc (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) and MSc (Political Science) degrees; both degrees were completed at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, where I have also worked as a Lecturer in Political Science. At a much younger age, I worked with a Radio Nigeria FM station in my home state of Osun, where I anchored programmes in sports, youth, and global affairs.

Research interests

My current research draws on my interests in governance and democratic engagement in sub-Saharan Africa, focussing primarily on Nigeria and South Africa. I have been involved in research, some of which appear as journal articles and book chapters, on how public institutions and organisations including the Nigeria Police Force, national legislatures in Nigeria and South Africa, subnational legislatures, electoral stakeholders, political parties, and government agencies engage citizens, including through the use of technologies.

My PhD research explores how political institutions work as sites, facilitators, and enablers of political inclusion, with a focus on the legislature. I use a multilevel approach to draw my cases from the national (House of Representatives) and subnational (Lagos State House of Assembly) levels in Nigeria, Africa’s largest democratic venture. Using the burgeoning literature on legislative public engagement as an analytical framework, and drawing on data sourced through interviews, observations, analysis of documents and online platforms, as well as questionnaire administration, I explore how the institutions have developed in their relationship with external (group and individual) actors as part of the drive towards institutional stability and development.

I have also written blog articles on different elements of democratic engagement, published by The Conversation, the Australian Institute of International Affairs, and the LSE at Africa blog.

My specific research interests:

• Comparative legislatures
• Democratic engagement and accountability
• Digital governance
• Climate governance
• Youth and politics

Recent publications

1. Odeyemi, T. I., Olorunshola D. T. & Ajibola, B. S. (2023). Turning public engagement into standard practice: institutionalisation in the work of the South African Parliament. The Journal of Legislative Studies, 29(3), 406-424. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13572334.2023.2195147.
2. Odeyemi, T. I. & Ajibola, B. S. (2023). What Factors Drive Legislators’ Response to Crises? Evaluating Actions and Behaviour under a Violent Protest Climate in Nigeria. Taiwan Journal of Democracy 19(2), 101-124.
3. Odeyemi, T. I., Igwebueze, G. U., Abati, O. O., & Ogundotun, A. O. (2022). Political hibernation in‐between elections? Exploring the online communication and mobilisation capacities of Nigeria's political parties. Journal of Public Affairs, 22(S1), e2804. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2804.
4. Odeyemi, T. I., & Abati, O. O. (2021). When disconnected institutions serve connected publics: subnational legislatures and digital public engagement in Nigeria. The Journal of Legislative Studies, 27(3), 357-380). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13572334.2020.1818928.
5. Odeyemi, T. I. (2020). Regional Integration and the Political Economy of Morocco’s Desire for Membership in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In S. O. Oloruntoba (ed.), Pan Africanism, Regional Integration and Development in Africa (pp. 97-123). Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34296-8_6
6. Odeyemi, T. I. and Abioro. T. (2019). Digital Technologies, Online Engagement and Parliament-Citizen Relations in Nigeria and South Africa. In O. M. Fagbadebo and F. A. Ruffin (Eds.), Perspectives on the Legislature and the Prospects of Accountability in Nigeria and South Africa (pp. 217 – 232). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93509-6_12

Qualifications

• M.Sc. Political Science
• B.Sc. Politics, Philosophy and Economics

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Democratic Engagement
• Centre for African Studies
• Centre for Global Development