The Center for Legislative Studies is an institutional partner with the Democracy in Africa Research Unit of the Centre for Social Science Research at the University of Cape Town in a major comparative project entitled the African Legislatures Project (ALP).  ALP is a path-breaking project that involves the following components: (1) systematic data collection on the structures and procedures of national legislatures in all 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa; (2) intensive in-country data collection on selected aspects of legislative performance as well as matching interviews of select samples of legislators and citizens in 18 countries currently covered by the Afrobarometer surveys; (3) theoretically grounded analysis and publication of results in refereed political science journals, as well as through regular working papers; (4) utilization of the data and analysis for outreach and enhancing in-country and donor-supported legislative strengthening programs; and (5) creation of website for disseminating the data and the working paper.

ALP is organized and managed by four principal investigators: (1) Professor Joel Barkan, University of Iowa; (2) Professor Robert M. Mattes, University of Cape Town; (3) Professor Shaheen Mozaffar, Bridgewater State University; (4) Ms. Lia Nijzink, University of Cape Town. Ms. Nijzink also serves as the Project Manager.