The German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)

The GIGA is an independent, social science research institute based in Hamburg, Germany. The Institute conducts research for the political, social and economic developments in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East as well as global issues. The GIGA builds on a rich history of more than 50 years of research on Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. The GIGA was created in 2006 from the restructuring of the German Overseas Institute (DÜI) founded in 1964. With the many years of experience as a source of top social science research on the Global South and global developments, the Institute are firmly anchored in Hamburg, Germany and the international scientific community. The GIGA works with perspectives, concepts and experiences from different regions of the world. It stands for research that is globally oriented in terms of content, scope and structure. As a member of the Leibniz Association, GIGA is committed to the Leibniz principle "theoria cum praxi": Science for the benefit of society. With its global approach, the GIGA analyzes how political, social and economic change emerges and how it spreads in the world and in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. The research combines in-depth specialist knowledge and the latest comparative methods. The overarching themes are responsibility and participation, peace and security, globalization and development, as well as global order and foreign policy.