The GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies is an independent social-science research institute based in Hamburg. It analyses political, social and economic developments in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and combines this analysis with innovative comparative research on international relations, development and globalisation, violence and security, and political systems. On the basis of this research, the GIGA advises political, economic and social decision-makers. The GIGA operates the largest non-university information centre for area and comparative area studies in Germany. Through its Berlin office, the institute is also represented in the German capital. The GIGA has 160 staff members and belongs to the Leibniz Association. It is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, the Hamburg Ministry of Science and Research, and the other German states. It also receives a substantial amount of third-party funding, primarily from academic funding agencies.