Rafael Leite, a research fellow at the New South Institute (NSI), has been awarded the German Chancellor Fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. This fellowship supports emerging leaders from across the globe and promotes international collaboration in research and policy development.

Leite’s research will focus on reforms in senior civil service recruitment and management, with a particular emphasis on the German public administration system. Over the next year, he will be affiliated with the German Research Institute for Public Administration (FÖV), working under the supervision of Professor Dr. Jan Ziekow. His research aims to gather insights that could inform public service reform initiatives in Brazil and South Africa.

Currently based in Bonn for an intensive German language course, Leite will divide his time between Berlin and Speyer during the course of his research. This project is part of broader efforts to explore best practices in governance and improve public administration at the subnational level.