Newsroom University of Manchester

What you study in school can shape your politics, study finds

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:30:46 +0100

Groundbreaking new research led by �� has uncovered a significant and lasting link between the subjects young people study in secondary school and their political preferences.

The study, led by Dr Nicole Martin from �� alongside Dr Ralph Scott from the University of Bristol and Dr Roland Kappe from University College London, uniquely tracked thousands of English students from adolescence into adulthood.

It revealed that studying arts and humanities subjects such as History, Art and Drama during their GCSEs makes students more likely to support socially liberal and economically left-wing parties like the Green Party or Liberal Democrats.

In contrast, students who studied Business Studies or Economics at GCSE level showed increased support for economically right-wing parties like the Conservative Party. Technical subjects also influenced views, leading to greater support for socially conservative and economically right-wing parties.

Crucially, these relationships between subjects and political support were found to persist into adulthood.

Published in the journal , the research marks the first time such effects have been observed within compulsory secondary schooling, moving beyond studies that traditionally focus on university education.

By combining English administrative school records with a unique panel of adolescents, the study provides compelling evidence on the importance of secondary school subjects for political socialisation during the 'impressionable years' of adolescence.

“Our research demonstrates that education’s influence on our political beliefs is far more nuanced than simply the level of education attained,” said Dr Martin. “The specific subjects that young people take in school - particularly at GCSE - plays a profound role in shaping their political compass. This might be because of the content, or because of different peer groups or role models.”

Madeleine Rees OBE delivers powerful 40th International Peace Lecture at ��

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:27:59 +0100

, Secretary General of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, addressed a packed Roscoe Theatre and online audience with a lecture titled The Continuous Struggle: Women’s Rights in the Last Four Decades and the Backlash Against Progress. Drawing on her work with women from Argentina, Bosnia, Syria, and Ukraine, Rees explored how gender justice has evolved in conflict-affected regions and how progress is increasingly threatened by rising authoritarianism, legal rollbacks, and cultural resistance.

Her talk highlighted the urgent need to protect hard-won rights, confront structural violence, and reimagine peacebuilding through a feminist lens. Rees’s reflections were rooted in decades of frontline advocacy, legal reform, and international diplomacy, “We insert ourselves into what we see and learn from existing structures. Male and female binary. History matters, but it’s biased; it’s mainly not women’s views. It’s not that women were written out of history but it’s that women were never written in.”

The lecture examined the pushback against gender and its negative impact on accessing justice, understanding conflict, and addressing its consequences. Rees argued that binary approaches, especially regarding gender, hinder the structural changes needed to end exclusion, inequality, and violence.

The lecture explored what interdisciplinary research is required to shift from a Hobbesian dystopia characterised by perpetual competitiveness and individualism, and to rebuild or establish a shared human connection.

The event marked forty years since former Psychology lecturer formally launched the lecture series. Inspired by staff protests against nuclear weapons at Greenham Common, the series was founded to create space for public dialogue on peace and the future.

, Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies and organiser of this year’s lecture, said:

The lecture was followed by a Q&A and networking reception, bringing together students, researchers, activists, and members of the public.

The International Peace Lecture is hosted annually by the Department of Politics in the School of Social Sciences. It remains a vital space for critical reflection, civic engagement, and global dialogue.

New research finds that ‘Levelling Up’ left many southern areas behind

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:18:44 +0100

Communities in the South of England were systematically underfunded in the government’s flagship ‘Levelling Up’ programme, according to new research using a Community Resilience Index (CRI) developed at ��.

The study, published in , analysed how £8.64 billion of Levelling Up funding was distributed across 307 local authority districts in England. Using a new Community Resilience Index (CRI) to measure need, researchers discovered that while many northern and coastal areas received more than their “fair share” of investment, the South of England was consistently underfunded.

The findings challenge the dominant narrative of a simple “north-south divide” and reveal that southern communities - particularly in inland areas - were frequently left behind in funding allocations.

Only 36.2% of local authorities received support proportionate to their need - the research shows that 30% of Levelling Up funding would have needed to be reallocated to ensure an equitable distribution across the country

“Levelling Up was designed to help all places build on their strengths and reach their potential - yet our resilience-based analysis shows that many southern communities were overlooked in funding allocations,” said Dr Christine Camacho, lead author of the study. “These areas face significant challenges but did not receive the support needed to strengthen their resilience.”

Among the starkest cases was Havant, in the South East, which received just £12.45 per person in Levelling Up support - 94% less than the £200 per person it would have received under a fair allocation model.

By contrast, several northern districts received far more than their modelled “fair share”. Redcar and Cleveland, for example, secured £469.70 per person - more than double its needs-based allocation. The researchers argue that this unevenness highlights deep flaws in the competitive, ministerial-driven allocation process.

The study emphasises that competitive bidding and ministerial discretion meant funding often flowed to areas with stronger institutional capacity, rather than those with the greatest social and economic need.

The researchers argue that without systematic, needs-driven allocation of investment, future regional policies risk repeating the mistakes of Levelling Up - leaving vulnerable communities in both the North and the South behind.

The authors stress that as the new Labour government moves beyond the Levelling Up brand, future place-based policies must adopt transparent, needs-based criteria. The Community Resilience Index, they argue, offers a robust tool for ensuring resources go where they are most needed.

Three �� experts become Academy of Social Sciences Fellows

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 11:05:39 +0100

Three academics from �� have been recognised as leading experts in their fields by being named as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences.

New Fellows are named in recognition of their excellence and impact, and their advancement of social sciences for the public good. Through leadership, research and policymaking, they have deepened understanding of major societal challenges. The Academy comprises over 1,700 Fellows from academia, the public, private and third sectors as well as 46 societies and affiliates, forming a 90,000-strong network that cements the UK’s global leadership in social sciences.

Academy Fellows - who are selected through an independent peer review which recognises their excellence and impact - are elected for their excellence in their fields and their substantial contributions to social science for public benefit.

Joining them is Professor of Public Administration and Head of Politics Liz Richardson, an expert who advances democratic and inclusive policymaking through her knowledge of participatory urban governance, local politics, public services and innovative research methods. Recognised among the Local Government Information Unit’s Top 25 Thinkers, Liz bridges academic insight and civic practice to tackle complex local and global policy challenges. She has co-authored pivotal reports in the UK’s Public Design Evidence Review, shaping how design thinking can reinvigorate public services.

“I am delighted to be an ambassador for social science,” Liz said. “Academic research has the potential to create a more equitable society - such potential is greater when knowledge fosters scientific rigour as well as respect for the experiential expertise of participants.”

Also named as a new Fellow is Professor of Public Policy David Richards, an internationally recognised scholar who specialises in British politics, governance, democracy and institutional reform. His research investigates the relationship between political institutions, public policy and democratic accountability. He has co-authored influential works, including Institutional Crisis in 21st Century Britain, and leads major projects on Treasury–Whitehall financial relations and productivity governance. Widely published and frequently cited in national debate, he bridges academic insight and public discourse, shaping critical conversations about the challenges facing British democracy and the future of effective, accountable government.

Our third new Fellow is Professor of Urban Economics & Real Estate Anupam Nanda, an award-winning expert in the economics of property markets, urban and regional dynamics, real estate finance, investor sentiment, cross-border investment, ESG issues, and the role of technology in real estate. A prolific researcher, his papers feature in top journals such as Journal of Urban Economics, Real Estate Economics, Regional Studies, and Energy Economics. Alongside his academic research, he works with policymakers and industry to develop solutions for sustainable, resilient and fair urban and housing systems.

“I am pleased to be nominated to join the Academy and contribute to its crucial work in promoting the role of social sciences in my field and across other related fields,” said Anupam. “I look forward to working with other fellows of the Academy.”

President of the Academy, Will Hutton FAcSS, said, “It’s a pleasure to welcome more leading social scientists to the Academy’s Fellowship. Their research and practical applications have made substantial contributions to social science and wider society in a range of areas, and we look forward to working with them to promote further the vital role the social sciences play in all areas of our lives.”

Major new book asks whether addressing climate change requires stability or conflict

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0100

A landmark new book is set to change how we think about tackling the climate crisis. It asks a big question: when it comes to climate change, is it better to ‘lock in’ steady, long-term policies, or do we need dramatic political conflict and protests to force real change?

Stability and Politicization in Climate Governance is co-edited by and - both leading politics experts from �� - alongside from the University of Massachusetts Boston (USA). The book highlights that the debate between ‘stability’ and ‘politicisation’ isn't as simple as it seems.

For a long time, many policymakers believed that ‘stability’ was the key to successful climate action. This stability meant creating predictable rules that encourage businesses to invest in green solutions, or making laws that are difficult to roll back in the future.

However, the book reveals a significant problem: often, trying to keep things stable just means nothing really changes, which can actually slow down efforts to cut carbon. Studies in the book also show that a focus on stability can perpetuate existing inequalities, making it harder for marginalised communities to participate in climate action.

On the other hand, "politicisation" means bringing climate issues into the public spotlight, challenging powerful interests and sparking debate. The book shows how social movements like the Fridays for Future school strikes in Germany have successfully pushed governments to adopt more ambitious climate strategies. This kind of public pressure can show who really has the power and lead to significant policy changes, like demanding deadlines for phasing out coal.

However, building pressure isn't equally easy or safe for all communities. For some groups, like Muslim climate activists in the UK, engaging in protests can be risky because of existing unfairness in society. As one Muslim climate campaigner noted, "when you think about climate change, it is a social justice issue".

The book’s main message is that stability and politicisation aren't always opposites - they often interact in complex ways. What appears stable may hide underlying conflicts which eventually burst out, while political conflicts can sometimes lead to new forms of stability.

The book covers examples from around the world - from Brazil to China and South Africa to Norway - across all levels of society from grassroots street activists in California right up to global negotiations. The volume also tackles a wide range of policy areas and sectors including the fossil fuel industry, financial and insurance businesses and electricity companies.

It is available now, and free to read and download from .

New report highlights how UK asylum system can distort memory through trauma

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 09:36:17 +0100

The report, based on a peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of Social Philosophy, is authored by , Lecturer in Political Theory within �� , and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Durham University. It explores how social and political institutions, particularly the asylum system, can disrupt people’s autobiographical memories. This can lead to inconsistencies in their accounts, which may be unfairly interpreted as dishonesty during asylum interviews.

Read the or access the .

The authors use the UK asylum system as a case study to show how institutional stress can affect memory. They argue that the system itself—through long waiting times, hostile environments, and public protests—can cause or worsen trauma, which in turn affects how people recall and communicate their experiences.

The report recommends reforms to reduce stress and improve fairness, including better living conditions, trauma-informed interview practices, and training for officials to understand how trauma affects memory. The authors stress that these changes are essential to ensure that people seeking asylum are treated with dignity and that their rights are respected.

Jamie Hagen appointed as EDI Officer for the British International Studies Association

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 16:17:16 +0100

We are delighted to announce that lecturer of Global Politics, has been nominated as the new Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Officer for the (BISA).

The EDI Officer plays a vital role in leading BISA’s strategy to ensure that the association reflects and supports diversity in all its forms: demographic, intellectual, pedagogical, methodological and institutional. The role also involves embedding inclusive practices across BISA’s policies, processes, governing arrangements and activities.

In response to the appointment, Jamie shared:

This appointment reflects Dr Hagen’s ongoing commitment to advancing inclusive values within the wider academic community.

Michael Evans: A Tribute

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 11:52:26 +0100

Michael Evans was a political theorist of genuine moral integrity. He taught in the Department of Government at the University of Manchester from 1963 to 1998 including a period as Head of Department.

“Mike” as he was called by his colleagues was known not for flamboyance or self-promotion, but for the quiet rigour of his thought and the moral seriousness with which he approached ideas.

He was a scholar made in the tradition of Spitzweg’s painting The Bookworm - perched among volumes, absorbed in thought, quietly devoted to truth. At the University of Manchester, he taught political theory with clarity and conviction, shaping minds without fanfare.

Evans’ landmark book, Karl Marx, was published by Allen & Unwin in 1975 and later reissued by Routledge remains a model of scholarly constraint and insight. In just over 200 pages, he achieved what many longer volumes failed to do: he offered a lucid, historically grounded account of Marx’s political thought that was both accessible and analytically rigorous. Drawing from primary sources — including the Grundrisse, The Civil War in France, and newly uncovered documents from the Communist League - Evans traced the evolution of Marx’s ideas with care and restraint. He did not seek to canonize Marx, nor to dismantle him. He sought to understand him.

The book was praised for its balance and depth. A 1976 review in The Historical Journal described it as “a very valuable addition” to political theory, noting Evans’s ability to recover Marx’s own understanding of his work without imposing a rigid ideological frame. Evans portrayed Marx as a thinker shaped by contradiction - committed to justice, wary of abstraction, and deeply attuned to the complexities of class and history.

Like Spitzweg’s solitary figure, Evans lived by the belief that ideas matter - not for fashion but in this context for the search for social justice. In an age of noise, his work endures with quiet authority, testimony to the longevity of serious scholarship.

Evans contributed regularly to the �� Papers in Politics, including studies on Marx’s early journalism and doctoral thesis. These shorter monographs reflected the same scholarly virtues: clarity, restraint, and a refusal to oversimplify.

His monograph on Marx’s Doctoral Thesis explored the young philosopher’s engagement with classical and post-Hegelian thought, while Marx and the Rheinische Zeitung examined Marx’s journalism and advocacy for press freedom. These works are characterized by a sharp commitment to context and a refusal to simplify.

To his students and colleagues, he was known for his quiet rigor and principled teaching. As a teacher, Evans was exacting but fair. He encouraged students to read deeply, argue honestly, and ground their insights in evidence. He believed that political theory was not a utopian practice but a necessity to make social progress - a way of making sense of power, freedom, and the obligations we owe one another as human beings.

His lectures were unadorned, except for the provision of outstanding handouts, his standards exacting. He did not chase trends. He did not tolerate free riders. But those who studied under him remember the depth of his knowledge and the quiet encouragement he gave to those willing to do the work.

Michael Evans sought truth at a time when political theory is too often reduced to performance. His contribution lives on in the clarity of his historical analysis, the seriousness of the questions he grappled with, and the quiet impact he had on political thought. His work continues to be cited and studied by those seeking to understand Marxism with nuance and historical integrity. His legacy reminds us that scholarship, at its best, is an act of intellectual rigour and moral clarity.

Selected publications

Evans, M. (1975). Karl Marx. London: Allen & Unwin. Reissued by Routledge, 2010.
Evans, M. (1995). Marx and the Rheinische Zeitung. �� Papers in Politics, 5/95. ��: University of Manchester.
Evans, M. (1995). Marx’s Doctoral Thesis. �� Papers in Politics. ��: University of Manchester."

Social Sciences students come top in President’s achievement awards

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 11:46:08 +0100

Roan Goulden, second-year Law student transitioning to final year, has been named as Undergraduate Student of the Year for the Faculty of Humanities.

The title recognises Roan’s extensive contribution to criminal justice through his multiple roles in the Innocence Project, Bar Society and International Wrongful Convictions Task Force.

Claire McGourlay, Professor of Legal Education who nominated Roan for the award, said:

Roan’s commitment to supporting victims of miscarriage through the Innocence Project earned him and his team the �� Law Society’s Pro Bono Award. As the project’s student manager, he mentors students on handling cases and ensures the public knows of the project’s impact and work.

Roan also leads on helping students pursue careers as barristers in his role as the Bar Society’s Treasurer. Through his membership in the International Wrongful Convictions Task Force, he works with students, lawyers and academics to develop the international law on wrongful conviction rights.

Niamh Cashell, a PhD student, has also been recognised as the Faculty’s Postgraduate Research Student of the Year.

Niamh has made significant contributions to academic leadership, public engagement, and responsible innovation. As Secretary of the Political Studies Association’s Early Career Network, she provided strategic leadership and administrative coordination, organising a virtual conference with over 70 early career researchers and co-leading an in-person Early Career Day at the PSA Annual Conference in 2024.

Niamh's commitment to research impact extended beyond academia, completing an ESRC-funded internship with the BBC’s Responsible Innovation Centre, where she produced a report on AI-generated images in UK political contexts.

Rachel Gibson, Professor of Political Science and Niamh’s PhD supervisor said:

She has also won the �� Doctoral College Excellence Award for Research Impact.

�� expert helps shape groundbreaking review on public design

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 17:37:55 +0100

An expert from �� has contributed to a major new government review which suggests that public design - an approach that brings citizens and designers into policymaking - could help to ensure that public services consistently achieve their goals.

The is the most comprehensive exploration yet of how design thinking can transform public services. Spearheaded by the Cabinet Office and drawing on expertise across government and academia, it brings together global case studies, academic insights and frontline government perspectives. It invites policy professionals to reimagine how we create value through more human-centred, collaborative public services.

Professor Liz Richardson, from the Department of Politics at ��, played a key role in the landmark project. She co-authored two of the PDER’s core reports, which examine the promise and potential of public design in modern governance.

One of her reports reviewed evidence on whether public design truly delivers public value - finding promising signs that, when done well, it can deepen collaboration, uncover fresh insights into how people experience services, and stimulate innovation by involving diverse voices in co-creation.

Professor Richardson also contributed to a major academic commentary in the review, setting out the current research landscape and future priorities for both academics and policymakers.

Reflecting on the work, she said: “Design could offer a fresh portfolio of ways to design and deliver high-performing public policies. Public design is part of a rich landscape of policy innovation. We are heartened by growing academic and policy interest in a family of ‘positive’ approaches to public policy (PoPP), including public design.”

The PDER was coordinated by the Policy Profession Unit, prepared for publication in the Department for Work and Pensions, and launched by the Cabinet Office with support from the University of the Arts London.

The report represents a true cross-sector effort to rethink how government can better serve the public. Professor Richardson’s involvement highlights how academic research can directly shape public services, and help to build more responsive, trusted and inclusive government.

From Idea to Impact: Politics Student recognised for social innovation

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 11:59:33 +0100

The School of Social Sciences is proud to announce that one of our BSocSc Politics and International Relations students, Derry Duffy, has been awarded a prize in the Social Category of the Venture Further Awards 2025, at which the (MEC), at ��, celebrated 25 years of enterprise education helping students launch impactful ventures. The event showcases the depth of entrepreneurial talent emerging from ��.

Derry Duffy and a co-founder, Herbie Warner (a Theoretical Physics graduate) created ‘Cause’, the first online giving platform built specifically for small charities, making it easier for them to connect with donors, raise funds, and grow. Cause removes the barriers that small charities face when fundraising such as high advertising costs, low visibility and lack of digital expertise. Through the ‘app’, donors and charities can easily connect, either organically through data driven recommendations or through affordable, accessible and targeted marketing. Allowing small charities to have maximum impact is central to the mission of the ‘app’ so there are no platform fees or fees on donations for donors or small charities.

In Derry’s summer after his first year at university, he became aware of how the coming Cost of Living Crisis was likely to affect people, especially those who were already facing fuel and food insecurity. In response he thought it would be a good idea to set up a charity to support people in �� through the Winter. However, the issue he couldn’t find an answer to was how to connect with local donors. He assumed a platform where small charities and local donors could connect would exist but it didn’t. Derry and co-founder Herbie decided to create that platform, an ‘app’ that allows donors to find small charities that are doing work close to their hearts.

Derry reflects on receiving the award:

University of Manchester team wins BISA 2025 EDI prize for Decolonial Praxis Project

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 14:07:24 +0100

The (BISA) has recognised ��’s outstanding commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) by awarding its 2025 EDI Prize to a team of staff members whose work has significantly advanced inclusive practices in international studies.

The award was presented during the BISA 2025 annual conference, held in Belfast, and celebrates initiatives that have made a tangible impact on fostering inclusive academic environments. �� team who received the EDI prize consisted of , (both from the Politics department) and (Sociology department).

The Decolonial Praxis project, that the awardees co-lead, challenges colonial legacies in Higher Education, while ensuring a more ethical and social justice-oriented approach to international partnerships. It is a transformative initiative that embodies the principles of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). Its working method is to evolve the approach in collaboration with colleagues from other universities (so far that includes universities of Ghana, Nairobi and Pretoria).

The initiative has sought to rethink modes of decolonising by including a wider range of participant: students, staff including academics and research support staff, and artivists. It convened at the universities but also in local communities and art-spaces giving importance to locally produced knowledge and knowledge-practice.

Over the last two years, activities have included mapping courses and degree programmes to highlight the ways in which structural inequalities persist as an evidence base to drive change within our School. Moreover, by engaging with colleagues from other universities and across disciplinary boundaries (in Nairobi the Faculty of Education; in Ghana the Interdisciplinary Institute for African Studies and in Pretoria the Department of Politics), the initiative has facilitated peer learning with implications for critical pedagogy, research and research support.

This initiative enhances diversity by amplifying marginalised voices and perspectives, through collaborative workshops and knowledge exchange. Through this initiative the project created an important space for critical dialogue and co-production of tools that advance decolonial praxis. This approach not only validates Indigenous knowledge but also ensures its relevance to socio-economic and cultural contexts, promoting sustainable development. The project’s long-term impact is secured through the ongoing development of a decolonial archive, and a number of publications.

This recognition underscores ��’s leadership in social responsibility and its commitment to inclusive excellence in higher education. The project has been funded by the International Science Partnerships scheme and the Faculty of Humanities at ��.

BAFTA success for University of Manchester alumnus Rob Rinder

Tue, 27 May 2025 15:52:53 +0100

We are delighted to congratulate , University of Manchester alumnus, on winning the for his BBC series Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour, co-hosted with Rylan Clark.

The award-winning series follows the pair as they retrace the steps of the Grand Tour across Europe, exploring art, culture, and identity with warmth and wit. The programme has been praised for its engaging storytelling and emotional depth, earning widespread acclaim and now, one of television’s highest honours.

Rob Rinder studied at the University of Manchester, graduating with a double first in Politics and Modern History, a joint honours degree spanning both the and the . His academic achievements laid the foundation for a distinguished career in law, broadcasting, and public engagement.

The success of Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour has seen it renewed for a second series, where the duo will travel to India and retrace the steps of Rob’s favourite author E.M. Forster.

We are proud to celebrate this achievement and to count Rob among our inspiring alumni.

��'s Chilean Society successfully campaigned for a polling station for Chilean citizens living in the region

Fri, 09 May 2025 11:15:52 +0100

For the upcoming 2025 presidential elections, more than 800 Chilean citizens living in �� and across Northern England will again have the opportunity to vote locally, thanks to a successful grassroots campaign that began in �� a few years ago.

Since 2017, Chileans living abroad have had the right to vote in presidential elections and national referendums. However, until 2022, the only UK polling station was in London. This posed significant challenges for Chileans based in the North and Scotland, who faced long, costly journeys to exercise their democratic rights.

In response, the Chilean Society at �� launched a campaign in 2022 to establish a polling station in the North of England. With strong support from Chilean residents in the region, the Society made a formal case to the Chilean Electoral Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their advocacy paid off in 2023: Chilean citizens voted in the referendum for the first time, using the Students’ Union building (��) as a polling station.

This grassroots initiative was recognised with the by �� Students’ Union. The award was presented by Professor Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility, in recognition of the Society’s contribution to civic engagement and democratic participation.

During 2025, Chileans abroad will vote in three rounds: the primary election in June, the first round in November, and a potential runoff in December. �� will again serve as a polling station for the North of England. This is a result of the consistent collaboration between (lecturer in Politics and former Chair of the Chilean Society) and the to the UK.

This year’s voting process will be supported by the , reinforcing the institution’s commitment to inclusive political participation and global citizenship.

Five �� experts become Academy of Social Sciences Fellows

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 11:14:30 +0100

An unprecedented five academics from �� have been recognised as leading experts in their fields by being named as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences.

New Fellows are named in recognition of their excellence and impact, and their advancement of social sciences for the public good. Through leadership, research and policymaking, they have deepened understanding of major societal challenges. The Academy comprises over 1,400 Fellows, 46 societies and affiliates, forming a 90,000-strong network that cements the UK’s global leadership in social sciences.

Joining them is Professor Sherilyn MacGregor, a leading scholar in environmental politics who is internationally renowned for her expertise in ecological feminism and environmental justice. Her research connects sustainability and justice in policy and practice, working with organisations like Oxfam and grassroots activists. She has authored pioneering works, mentored early career scholars, and edited Environmental Politics since 2010. She has secured over £1 million in research funding and recently led an £8.5 million bid for the , where, as PI and director, she leads more than 30 researchers studying just transitions to net zero.

“It is a huge privilege to become a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and I want to thank the colleagues responsible for my nomination,” said Sherilyn. “As we start building the JUST Centre, I am more committed than ever to demonstrating that the environmental social sciences play a vital role in leading the way out of the current so-called ‘polycrisis’. I will continue to do work that supports community struggles for eco-social justice, inspired by the countless mentors who have taught me the necessity and the rewards of engaged scholarship.”

Also named as a new Fellow is Professor Stefan Bouzarovski, who also co-leads a core working group of the JUST Centre as well as the . Honoured by the EU as an ‘Ordinary Hero’, Stefan is a leading expert on energy regulation, urban inequality and housing vulnerability who has influenced global climate policies as the University’s Associate Research Director for Impact. A key member of the and the , he has worked with the UN, UK Government, EU and World Bank. He co-founded the European Energy Poverty Observatory, and he has authored over 150 publications.

“I am incredibly honoured and humbled to have received this recognition, while also feeling deeply grateful to the Royal Geographical Society for their nomination,” said Stefan. “All academic work is collective, and this Fellowship is equally the result of multiple years of cooperation with numerous researchers and practitioners across the world. I hope to be able to extend and develop our shared work in the period to come, in working towards energy equity and social justice against the background of the unfolding climate crisis.”

Another new Fellow is deputy director of the JUST Centre Professor Matthew Paterson, a globally recognised expert in climate politics and environmental governance whose work explores the political economy of climate change, global environmental governance and sustainable transformations. Matthew has authored influential books and over 100 scholarly articles, shaping discourse on climate politics. He has led major international research projects funded by organisations such as the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Leverhulme Trust, and he has engaged policymakers worldwide including as an author for the UN’s IPCC reports.

Also named as a Fellow is Professor Toni Haastrup, a leading expert in feminist international studies. Her work has explored contemporary Africa-EU relations, feminist foreign policy and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. With over 80 published works, her work seeks to bridge theory and practice, which has led to collaborations with UN agencies and EU institutions. Passionate about inclusion in the sector, Toni is currently chair of the . Her contribution to feminist knowledge in Europe was recognised with an Emma Goldman Award in 2022. She is also a mid-career fellow of the Independent Social Research Foundation.

“I am deeply honoured to be recognised by the Academy of Social Sciences,” Toni said. “This recognition further validates the importance of feminist perspectives within the humanities and social sciences, at a time we are increasingly seeing a backlash within and outside the academy. Yet, this work is essential to addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time, and I am grateful to the colleagues and collaborators who have supported my work over the years.”

Our final new Fellow is Professor Sophie Woodward, a distinguished sociologist who carries out research into material culture, consumption and everyday life. Sophie is the author of several books including Why Women Wear What They Wear (2007), Blue Jeans: The Art of the Ordinary (2012), Birth and Death: experience, ethics and politics (2020) and Material Methods: Researching and Thinking with Things (2019) who co-directs the , as well as serving as Vice-Director of the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM). She is also one of the founding editors of the new Journal of Creative Research methods.

“I am delighted to be made a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences - it is wonderful to receive recognition like this,” said Sophie. “I look forward to working with other fellows at a time when the world needs social science methods, perspectives and critiques more than ever. I look forward to continuing to develop critical engagements with methods and the data they can generate and my research into everyday lives.”

“I’m delighted to welcome these outstanding social scientists to the Academy’s Fellowship, whose research and practice are helping to develop solutions to pressing societal issues,” said Will Hutton, President of the Academy. “We look forward to working with them to further promote the vital role the social sciences play in all areas of our lives.”

Ukrainian leaders share first-hand accounts of democratic resilience at ��

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 10:23:44 +0000

On Tuesday, 25 February, students and academics gathered at �� to hear first-hand accounts of resilience and democratic resistance from Ukrainian leaders. The event, Democratic Resilience After De-Occupation: Local Communities’ Response to Russia’s War Against Ukraine, provided an eye-opening insight into life under occupation and the efforts to rebuild in the face of destruction.

First-Hand Accounts of Survival and Resistance

The panel featured key figures such as Larysa Bilozir, Member of Parliament and Chair of the Committee on State Building, Local Governance, Regional, and Urban Development. She spoke passionately about the significance of international audiences engaging with Ukrainian voices, expressing gratitude for those who attended to listen and learn.

Tatiana Sviridenko, Head of the Ivankiv community in the Kyiv region, shared harrowing details of the war’s impact on local communities, particularly the elderly. “Many of those who lost their homes were pensioners,” she said, highlighting the devastating personal toll. One story that resonated deeply was the destruction of the Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum, which housed 25 paintings by renowned artist Maria Prymachenko. In an extraordinary act of bravery, three residents ran into the burning building to save the artwork.

Joining the discussion were several other Ukrainian leaders dedicated to the country’s reconstruction and democratic resilience.

Mykola Stefanishyn, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, highlighted the strategic efforts being made to rebuild war-torn regions, while Natalia Pipa, Member of Parliament and Secretary of the Committee on Education, Science, and Innovation, spoke about the impact of war on Ukraine’s education system and the steps being taken to ensure learning continues despite the hardships.

Preserving Identity and History

Vitaliy Beloborov, Deputy Head of the Kherson City Military Administration, discussed Russia’s attempts to erase Ukrainian identity and culture. During its eight-month occupation, Russian forces sought to eliminate historical records and symbols of resistance. In response, Kherson has established a Museum of Resistance to preserve everyday items that became symbols of survival.

He also warned about the dangers of Russian disinformation campaigns, emphasizing that “professional methods are used to distort the truth.” His call to action was clear: by listening, sharing stories, and raising awareness, the international community can play a vital role in countering propaganda.

The discussion also featured Anatoliy Fedoruk, the Mayor of Bucha, a city that has become a powerful symbol of Ukrainian resilience following the atrocities committed during Russia’s occupation. He shared his city’s painful experiences and the efforts being made to restore normalcy and honour the memories of those lost.

A Call for Global Solidarity

Oksana Prodan, Advisor to the Head of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, reinforced the importance of international support.

The panellists stressed that conversations like these help amplify Ukraine’s struggle and ensure that the world remains engaged.

The gratitude expressed by the speakers highlighted how vital external support is, not only in terms of material aid but also in keeping Ukraine’s story in the global spotlight. The simple act of listening, asking questions, and seeking to understand was acknowledged as a form of solidarity that strengthens Ukraine’s resistance.

A key theme that ran throughout the discussion was an unshakable pride in being Ukrainian. “We will win this war,” one speaker declared with conviction. Their words reflected not just hope, but an unwavering belief in the resilience of their people and their commitment to democracy.

Lessons for the Future

The event concluded with a powerful takeaway: listening is an act of resistance. By hearing and understanding Ukraine’s fight for survival, attendees became part of a broader effort to uphold truth and justice. In a world where disinformation and apathy threaten to silence critical voices, events like these remind us of the importance of engagement and advocacy.

The Ukrainian leaders left the audience with a simple but profound message: solidarity matters, and the world must continue to stand with Ukraine.

Educational Initiatives Supporting Democratic Resilience

As part of broader efforts to educate and engage students in contemporary political challenges, the event was organized under the Ukraine Rises course, sponsored by the . This is the first contemporary politics course in the United Kingdom based in a social science department.

Olga Onuch, Professor of Comparative and Ukrainian Politics, emphasized how the course complements the themes of resilience and civic responsibility discussed throughout the event:

Local Government 25 Top Thinker – Liz Richardson

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:25:54 +0000

, who leads the Politics department at the , has been recognised as one of the top 25 thinkers by the (LGIU).

The list features leaders who are finding solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. Professor Richardson focuses on creating more democratic and participatory ways of doing politics by working with academics, practitioners, and citizens. She is also interested in new research methods that involve people in the research process.

The LGIU has released its first-ever list of after launching the , a programme designed to help local governments tackle global challenges and make the most of new technologies, including addressing climate change.

Liz reflects on this recognition:

Trump is making false claims about Zelensky's popularity, say experts

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 14:45:06 +0000

After US President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s approval rating stands at a mere 4%, experts including of Manchester have pointed to their polling which puts his approval rating at 63% - making him the most popular politician in the country.

Trump’s remarks come at a critical moment when US and Russian officials are engaging in discussions - without Ukrainian representation - about ending the full-scale invasion. These talks are validating some of Ukrainians' worst fears: negotiations that concede to Vladimir Putin’s demands, undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty, and rewarding Russian aggression. Trump’s comments only add fuel to this narrative by attempting to delegitimise Ukraine’s leadership while strengthening Putin’s position.

Professor Onuch - alongside colleagues Professor Henry Hale of George Washington University, Volodymyr Kulyk of The Kyiv School of Economics and Gwendolyn Sasse of Humbolt University and ZOiS - has conducted extensive surveys in Ukraine since 2014. Their work, carried out in partnership with the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, offers a clear picture of Ukrainian public sentiment.

According to their latest findings, 63% of Ukrainians approve of Zelensky’s performance as president, a notable increase from the previous year. Additionally, large majorities view him as a patriot (74%), an intelligent and knowledgeable leader (73%), and a strong figure guiding the country through war (65%).

The notion that Zelensky is deeply unpopular is not only inaccurate - according to the researchers, it is a blatant attempt to distort reality in favour of Russia’s geopolitical ambitions. Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine should hold new elections ignores the fact that democratic processes in Ukraine remain intact, and that Zelensky would remain a frontrunner in the most likely electoral scenarios.

Among likely voters, he commands 32-41% support - far ahead of rivals like former President Petro Poroshenko and Dmytro Razumkov, who trail in the single digits. Zelensky's only strong contender would be Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former Commander in Chief and currently Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, but he has not publicly voiced any political ambitions.

“Ukrainians will not react well to attempts to undermine their views and preferences and will rally behind their leaders," Olga added. "Opposition forces will also find a way to come together and show unity - everyone in Ukraine understands what is as stake - it is an existential matter. Ukrainians have been fighting to protect their independence for years, and they will not give up now.”

“By inventing low approval ratings, Trump is preparing the ground for a call for quick elections in Ukraine - in line with Putin‘s references to Zelensky as an illegitimate president and negotiation partner,” said Gwendolyn Sasse. “Our findings show that for Ukrainians, holding elections now is not a preferred priority.”

“When the war ends, we can expect normal political competition to reemerge if Ukraine remains free,” added Henry Hale. “But with the Russian threat still looming large, Ukrainians continue to rally strongly around their leader.”

As Ukraine continues to resist Russian aggression and misinformation campaigns, the researchers say these must be called out and rejected. Their findings demonstrate that Ukraine still stands with Zelensky, and they say that efforts to delegitimise him only serve the interests of Vladimir Putin.

Almost 2 million people didn’t have the right ID to vote in 2024

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 13:40:16 +0000

The 2024 general election was the first in the UK’s history to be run under a system of voter ID. When heading to the polling station, people could only vote if they proved their identity first. This was the result of a law brought in in 2023 and that had already applied to local elections in England that year.

Using data from the , we tracked people eligible to vote between 2023 and 2024 and that 5% of people eligible to vote – nearly 2 million people – didn’t own any recognised voter identification. This lack of ID was concentrated among poorer and less educated voters.

Of course, lacking photographic ID is not necessarily a permanent state. Some people will have been in the process of renewing passports and driving licences during this period. All of these people would also have been eligible for a voter authority certificate, a form of identification brought in with the new law – although we found take up of these was low.

We found that around 0.5% of all voters reported being turned away at polling stations as a result of lacking ID in the local elections of 2023. We also found that four times as many people (around 2%) reported not voting because they knew they didn’t have the right ID.

The equivalent figures were slightly lower at the general election of 2024, but a meaningful contingent still did not participate. Around 1.3% of electors – or over half a million people – were turned away or didn’t show up at all because of voter identification requirements.

While administrative records can provide accurate numbers about how many people were turned away at the polling station, they tell us little about people who were discouraged from even trying to vote because they didn’t have the right ID. So it is clear from our analysis that the impact of voter ID on turnout is likely larger than previous estimates based on polling station returns.

Who benefits?

We also found that the Conservatives were more likely to benefit from the voter ID law than other parties.

This is not surprising when we consider demographic factors. , Conservative voters are more likely to own ID, because they are more likely to be older and more affluent. Despite changes in social patterns of party support since the 2016 Brexit referendum, this pattern still holds true.

The types of identification which are allowed under the new law – and especially the decision to allow older people but not younger people to use travel passes – exacerbates these differences.

Who didn’t have ID?

The chart above shows the percentage lacking photo ID by general election vote intention, as measured in May 2023 (lighter bars) and May 2024 (shaded bars), shortly before the general election was called.

In 2024, only 2.4% of Conservative supporters were likely to not have photo ID, while 3.8% of Labour supporters and 4.1% of Reform supporters were lacking.

One notable difference is an increase in Liberal Democrats and non-voters with no photo identification in 2024, although this is almost entirely due to a change in the number of people supporting the Liberal Democrats or deciding not to vote rather than changes in people’s actual ownership of ID.

Liberal Democrat voters had the lowest proportion of supporters without voter ID in 2023 (1.3%), but in 2024, the Liberal Democrat rate exceeded that of the Conservatives (2.9%).

There are still opportunities to posed by voter ID. Ahead of the next election the new government should extend the forms of identification allowed (especially for those younger than state pension age).

Improving public awareness around the law and the availability of voter authority certificates is another important step. There are also suggestions that a system of who don’t have voter ID would be an option.

In an electorate of 49 million, if almost two million aren’t able to vote because they don’t have the right ID, there is a problem. Those interested in building trust in our democracy should consider not only minimising electoral fraud but reducing this number by as much as possible.

, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in Politics, and , Professor of Social and Political Science, and Principal Investigator of the British Election Study,

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Majority of Ukrainians ‘cautiously optimistic’ about Trump presidency, study finds

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 13:55:01 +0000

As Donald Trump’s begins his second term as President of the United States, a groundbreaking study led by �� has revealed that a majority of Ukrainians hold a cautiously optimistic view of his presidency - even amid significant global uncertainty about its implications for the ongoing war with Russia.

The research is part of the “Identity and Borders in Flux: The Case of Ukraine” (IBiF) project - a collaboration between ��, George Washington University, the University of Oxford and Kyiv School of Economics funded by The British Academy.

The study found that 54% of Ukrainians view Trump’s return as generally more positive than negative for Ukraine, although regional and demographic differences persist. Younger Ukrainians aged 18–29 are particularly optimistic, with 64% expressing confidence in Trump’s leadership benefiting their country.

Professor Olga Onuch, the project’s lead researcher, emphasised the importance of these findings in understanding public sentiment during a time of geopolitical upheaval. “Our research highlights the nuanced and often ambivalent perspectives Ukrainians have toward Donald Trump’s presidency,” she said.

“Our findings may also reflect Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent public efforts to woo and flatter Trump as he takes the helm of Ukraine’s most powerful ally,” added Henry Hale of George Washington University.

Donald Trump has sparked controversy in the West with statements suggesting the US might scale back military support for Ukraine and focus on negotiating a peace deal, even if this compromises Ukraine’s territorial integrity. These remarks have raised alarms in Kyiv and among NATO allies, as they potentially undermine Ukraine’s ability to resist Russian aggression.

The study reveals that territorial integrity remains a non-negotiable priority for Ukrainians, with 57% agreeing that “any peace agreement that does not restore the full territorial integrity of Ukraine is doomed to failure.” Despite Trump’s claims of being a skilled negotiator, scepticism persists about whether his administration could achieve a deal acceptable to Ukraine and its Western allies.

The research underscores the delicate balance required to maintain Western unity in supporting Ukraine. As NATO and the EU closely monitor Trump’s rhetoric, Ukraine remains steadfast in its demand for a peace deal that ensures sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The Ukrainian public’s cautious optimism reflects a mix of hope and pragmatism,” Professor Onuch added. “As Trump and his new administration navigate these complex dynamics, the stakes for Ukraine and the West couldn’t be higher.”

David Stroup shortlisted for the Ethnic and Racial Studies Martin Bulmer Prize

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 15:41:50 +0000

is a Senior Lecturer of Chinese Politics at ��.

In his , he examines the discourse around Wuhan’s Party Secertary Ma Guoqiang, an ethnic Hui Muslim.

Using discourse analysis of posts regarding Ma from January and February 2020, the paper examines how online discussion of Ma exemplifies Islamophobic attitudes of netizens, and illuminates the exclusory ethnic politics that unfold in the process of national boundary setting in China.

These findings also illuminate how Muslims become scapegoats for crisis in non-Muslim countries, particularly those under authoritarian governance.

Stroup’s article contributed to the INTERSECT Project, a collaborative study of the global flows of Islamophobia led by Iselin Frydenlund and Torkel Brekke at the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX), University of Oslo.

Sherilyn MacGregor to lead new Research Centre on Joined Up Sustainability Transformations

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 13:40:49 +0000

The Centre for Joined Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) will accelerate the understanding of a just transition by coordinating research into action at all levels of society.

Launching in February 2025, the JUST Centre will work closely with communities in five regions of the North of England (West Yorkshire, West Cumbria, Merseyside, Greater ��, and Tyneside) while also generating comparative research in other regions of the UK.

It will collaborate with partners across local, regional, and national government, business, and civil society to co-produce joined-up solutions to meet climate goals while improving citizens’ quality of life.

Commenting on the announcement, JUST Centre Director and Principal Investigator, said:

Visit the for further information.

Abdulghani Al-Kindi Elected President of the Saudi Political Science Association

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:33:54 +0000

Al-Kindi completed his PhD in the Politics Department at �� in November 2022. His thesis, Toward an Analytical Framework for Authoritarian Reform, was supervised by Angelia Wilson and Vero Pin-Fat.

Angie Wilson commented: “Dr. Alkindi was an absolutely determined, thorough and inspirational researcher during his time at the University of Manchester. Both Vero and I were certain that his work would have an impact on the world for the good. Clearly he remains dedicated to the growth of the discipline through his instrumental work in establishing the SPSA and now being elected as the first SPSA President.”

Sociology and Politics Success in Global Subject Rankings

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:24:56 +0000

The School of Social Sciences has seen two of its departments rise in the latest Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) Subject Rankings for 2024. Our department is now ranked in the top 50 globally for universities delivering ‘Political Science’, and our department has broken into the top 25, ranking 11th on the global rankings.

Our Heads of Department for Sociology and Politics have both welcomed the results as a reflection of the hard work of their academics and researchers.

Overall, the University has been placed among the top 25 worldwide in seven subject areas, and has two other subjects ranked in the top 50 globally. We are now ranked in 46 of the 55 subject areas covered by the ARWU, an impressive achievement.

These exceptional results demonstrate our commitment to research excellence and global impact across a diverse range of disciplines.

The budget shows Rachel Reeves is thinking long-term more than the Tories

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 10:46:57 +0000

Chancellor Rachel Reeves presented in 14 years by promising to put an .

British governments typically see budgets as an opportunity to present policies providing short-term gain in terms of public popularity, even if they do little to improve Britain’s long-term economic prospects. Over the past ten years, governments have adopted and then abandoned , and .

The last Conservative government’s budget contained a range of tax cuts, most notably a 2p cut on National Insurance. Little consideration was given to the medium-term . Labour inherited a funding squeeze, alongside the need to balance the books over a five-year period based on the previous .

This kind of short-termism is a within British economic policymaking. A winner-takes-all, majoritarian electoral system encourages governments to over a longer-term economic strategy.

Here’s how Reeves is taking a different approach in her first budget.

1. Long-term strategy

Reeves has underscored Labour’s commitment to long-termism through various institutional reforms. The government had already announced the creation of to drive a new industrial strategy. This will now be accompanied by a new to provide private investment into infrastructure.

The launch of the will scrutinise spending decisions. And the Office for Budget Responsibility’s role in of capital investments, government policies and departmental spending will be enhanced.

2. Investing for growth

Alongside a few surprises such as an uplift to the minimum wage, increased tax on private jets and the continued freeze on fuel duty, the main theme of the budget was investment-led growth for the long-term.

To that end, Reeves has around debt to enable more headroom for investment. She also raised national insurance contributions for employers to fund this investment wave.

These measures will be used to plough such as engineering, biotechnology and medical science. The chancellor committed £1 billion into the aerospace industry, £2 billion into electric vehicle development, and £500 million into life sciences. In total, the public investment will amount to .

3. Infrastructure projects

Reeves also committed to funding a number of high-profile . On transport, the TransPennine Route upgrade, East West Rail, and HS2’s link into central London were all green lit. She also to build 1.5 million new homes in five years. Additionally, £20.4 billion in R&D funding was also protected in the budget.

4. Regional growth

The budget highlighted the importance of , reflecting Labour’s emphasis on continued devolution . Reeves has committed to providing an extra £6.6 billion to the devolved nations through the .

She also revealed that the would receive integrated financial settlements from 2026-27. These moves indicate some ambition and long-term vision around empowering devolved governments to drive regional economic growth.

5. Public services

Another long-term focus of the government has been “fixing the foundations” of Britain’s . Reeves linked low levels of investment to . As such, she committed to significant spending on education and health, alongside £1.3 billion to address the crisis of .

These measures signpost a renewed interest in an to address Britain’s economic weaknesses and drive growth. Both require a focus on the medium and long-term.

Remaining challenges

Collectively, these measure suggest some long-term thinking by Labour, but do they go far enough and will they stick?

Delivering on a long-term industrial strategy requires greater , especially between the Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade. But other departments too, will be key to driving long-term growth and must be brought on board with Labour’s approach .

And while the integrated financial settlements will empower the West Midlands and Greater ��, the approach stops short of fully downloading financial independence to the regions. A focus on selective regions also only adds to in the powers regions have. A systematically thought-out approach that covers the whole UK would go further, but remains remote.

Finally, while the government has spent big on education and health, real departmental funding is only set to . Pre-budget, about the effect tight funding settlements might have for non-protected departments, especially when these cuts come to bite .

The spectre this raises for Labour is that a short-term squeeze on day-to-day departmental spending risks undermining the work it has done to secure long-term investment for growth.

, Research Associate; , Professor of Government Practice; , Professor of Public Policy

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license - read the

Professor Angie Wilson receives APSA Distinguished Career Service Award

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 16:50:02 +0100

has been awarded the Distinguished Career Service Award 2024 by the .

The Caucus, which serves as the primary association for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people and allies within the APSA, is an important arena for the presentation of research on sexual and gender diversity studies in political science and related disciplines.

The Awards are presented to individuals who have demonstrated exemplary service to the Caucus, the field of political science, or the broader LGBTQ community.

A founding member of the Sexuality & Politics division of APSA, Professor Wilson's work on the Christian/Religious Right has significantly contributed to understanding of how these movements have weaponised LGBTQ+ rights and liberties to expand and consolidate their memberships. She has been actively involved with the APSA LGBTQ Caucus, Status, and Sexuality & Politics for nearly three decades.

She also serves as Associate Editor at Political Research Quarterly (PRQ) where she continues to engage with scholarly developments, contribute her insights and foster academic community.

In its statement, the awarding committee praised Professor Wilson's invaluable academic contribution:

On receiving the award, Professor Wilson said:

Prioritizing Global Responsibilities: New book by James Pattison

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 15:50:39 +0100

, Professor of Politics, co-authors with Luke Glanville, Professor at the Department of International Relations at the Australian National University.

The book considers that ‘states face multiple ongoing and emerging challenges, from climate change to global disease, mass atrocities to forced displacement, humanitarian crises to entrenched global poverty, and are constrained by material and political limits to the amount of resources that they can devote to these issues.’ It seeks to answer how, given these constraints, states should prioritise their global responsibilities.

It does so ‘by proposing a two-level account of just prioritization that aims to be both philosophically sound and practically relevant. The authors assess several potential prioritization principles, including diversification, culpability, urgency, disadvantage, and national interest, and argue that states should prioritize issues where they can assist most effectively and where they can help those who are most underprivileged.’

The book considers a number of urgent issues, such as global poverty, climate change and global health.

Nick Turnbull awarded a Leverhulme Trust Research Grant

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 13:41:42 +0100

is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and the project is a collaboration between Politics and Criminology.

It aims to contribute to policy theory by discovering how policy workers make interpretations, manage relationships and practice discretion in the course of governing the trafficking problem.

There is currently a lack of primary research and cross-national comparisons about anti-trafficking collaborative governance. There is also a lack of research on non-sexual exploitative labour.

The project will contribute to knowledge by discovering how policy workers' discretion impacts upon the prosecution, protection and prevention of trafficking. Moreover, the project includes people with lived experience of trafficking as co-producers.

The project will assess similarities and differences between policy practices across three countries: United Kingdom, Belgium and Romania. It focuses primarily on policy workers, their organisations, and inter-relations.

It examines how they make discretionary choices in policy implementation, including narratives they use in interpreting the policy problem and negotiating network relationships. These are set in the context of formal governance structures and the political narratives at work within them.

The overall research question for the project is: How is the human trafficking problem governed by interpretive policy workers making discretionary choices in the context of specific policy regimes?

Clara Sandelind awarded a BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grant

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 07:41:00 +0100

is a Lecturer in Political Theory and the British Academy/Leverhulme project will support her research on how different forms of cross-border and domestic solidarity can be harmonised.

The research questions the assumption that solidarity with refugees contradicts or erodes solidarity within the welfare state. Instead, the project explores how political solidarity with refugees can be community-building and support wider social justice goals.

The grant will support a workshop on refugees’ political engagement and solidarity with a number of stakeholders in Sweden, a country where the presumed conflict of solidarity has been particularly stark. Sandelind will also interview migrant activists and NGOs, focusing on how their work can and does contribute to building wider solidarity that may also support the welfare state.

University of Manchester Students Make a Difference in Local Refugee Community

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 11:57:37 +0100

Since 2014, this community hub has also served as the setting for a fruitful collaboration between the University of Manchester and local refugees and asylum seekers, fostering both language skills and community building.

The initiative, spearheaded by the politics department at the University, began as an English language conversation project. Every week, students would meet with refugees and asylum seekers at the Chrysalis Centre, offering them a chance to practice English and engage with the broader community.

This effort was originally conceived by two �� students studying Politics and International Relations, John Beswick and Chen Liu, who recognized the isolation and language barriers faced by many refugees during a visit to the centre.

The project has evolved since its inception, expanding in 2022 to include students from universities across ��. This expansion was coordinated by Senior Lecturer Aoileann Ní Mhurchú from �� and Lecturer Dr. Josephine Biglin from the University of Salford.

The students contribute more than just language skills; they forge meaningful connections with the attendees, contributing to a sense of community and mutual support.

Reflecting on her experience, Ila Lessof, a University of Manchester student who participated in the 2022/23 project, described it as transformative: "The community and friendships created were invaluable... the chance to learn from and support each other brought so much joy and purpose."

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the project has persevered, adapting and growing in response to the needs of the community. The University’s commitment to this initiative underscores the critical role that higher education institutions can play in supporting refugees within local communities.

As the Chrysalis Family Centre continues to thrive, the collaboration between �� students and local refugees remains a powerful testament to the positive impact of community engagement.

New report - Navigating the Backlash: The Future of British Climate Strategy

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 14:33:31 +0100

The report sets out strategies for navigating the UK’s political context on climate change, which were developed during a workshop at �� with academics, practitioners from various political parties, as well as NGOs and social movements.

In a recent blog post, and argue on the basis of the report that there has been a breakdown of the ‘climate change consensus’ and a backlash against net zero. To overcome these issues, they strategies they suggest are:

Mitigate the dilemmas that political parties face when navigating this new political context.

They suggest that parties may do so, for example, by ‘Designing policies that create irreversible effects, such as zero-carbon infrastructure investments in electricity, housing, or transport that would be too costly to dismantle.’

2. Attack the backlash directly

This option entails promoting ‘net zero strategies that explicitly address social justice and inequality. Examples include policies that benefit low-income households, such as investment in public transport, and using the language of ‘energy security’ when promoting renewable energy.

The following report and blog post are available to read below:

News round up of Politics staff commentating on the General Election

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 11:44:00 +0100

After the election, wrote a , focusing on the ‘fragmentation of the British parliament and the rise of smaller parties at the expense of the Conservatives’.

wrote for the , analysing the results of all major parties and discussing the weakness of Labour’s base.

During election night, Robert Ford and Marta Miorio were at the BBC as part of their exit poll and analysis team. was at the BBC World Service Business Report election coverage.

Prior to the election, argued in n that children should have a say in elections.

Louise Thompson wrote a number of pieces for The Conversation and LSE British Politics and Policy blog, including of Reform’s election success.

wrote a , highlighting the key role played by renters in the election.

Votes for kids: why we should be giving children a say in elections

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 15:56:00 +0100

It’s not controversial to say that contemporary affluent societies do a rather poor job of taking the interests of younger generations into account. This is not only because children can’t vote and the elderly tend to numbers. It’s also because many societies have ageing populations, making them demographically stacked against the youngest.

In Italy, for example, . While the numbers aren’t quite that high in the UK, the phenomenon is still – with pensioners .

The neglect of children and young people in UK politics is evident. . and understaffed, and young people are saddled with high university fees. They also face a difficult and cannot look forward to a decent, safe pension. It’s also much harder for them to , compared with previous generations.

And that’s all without even considering issues related to the climate crisis or how dramatically shrank children’s lives and social circles. What is clear is that children are directly affected by political decisions and policies. But they don’t have a say in elections.

In some places, the voting age for some elections has already been lowered to 16. Research shows that young people are more likely to if they start at 16. Labour now proposes this for .

Many want the voting age to be lowered further, or . But any age higher than 0 leaves millions of child citizens without representation of their interests. That problem can be solved by giving children proxy votes from birth, to be cast by their primary carers. We can combine this with any voting age we deem right.

Proxy voting is when a person delegates their voting rights to another person to vote on their behalf. It is . It could work roughly in the same way with children and their parents or caregivers. Instead of delegation, we would use our registers of who is a child’s primary carer, authorising parents or legal guardians to vote on their behalf, if they are not yet old enough to vote themselves.

Giving children’s interests a voice

The idea of proxy voting for children has been and discussed by politicians for decades, but hasn’t been tried yet.

For some, the idea may be concerning, with fears that primary carers will use the votes in their own interests rather than the children’s. Of course their interests are not exactly identical. But they largely overlap on the policies that matter most – from high quality childcare and schooling to generally improving the life prospects for the young.

For example, if prospects are bad, the young remain economically .

And even if a few carers use proxy votes badly, this is still better than not having children’s interests represented at all. Furthermore, we could restrict the number of possible extra votes per primary carer, so that people with more children did not have more votes.

Perhaps some would still feel that carers getting to exercise more votes somehow shows that society values families more than the childless. But this is a misunderstanding of proxy voting. It is needed simply to give children’s interests appropriate weight in our politics, given our demographics.

According to philosophers, there are two main reasons for giving people . The first is simply that the vote is a mark of respect for people as free and equal moral agents capable of forming and expressing their own and the common good of their society.

The second relates to the good consequences of voting: giving people the vote avoids many and raises the chances that nobody’s important interests will be overlooked.

Having proxy voting in place would likely make it easier to teach children about politics more effectively from an earlier age, and help them to become active citizens. But the main argument for it is simply that it gives weight to their interests in the electoral process. With millions more potential votes to be gained, we can expect that political parties would compete for these votes by committing to policies that are fairer towards the young.

When faced with the disproportionate political influence of the elderly, some philosophers have toyed with the idea of at least (as the Romans ). But many people think this would be a terrible idea: it would be a form of exclusion from politics. Adding proxy votes for children does not exclude anybody.

In lieu of a proxy voting system, if you’re a parent, this election is a good opportunity to start about the democratic process, the issues you are concerned about and why you vote. You may even want to take them to the ballot box with you. that talking to young people about politics can help them trust in their own ability to effect change.

, Senior Lecturer in Political Theory
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Former Master student Htet Lynn Oo awarded prize for dissertation

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 12:28:23 +0100

Htet Lynn Oo is a former MA Peace and Conflict Studies student.

In addition to the , Htet was also awarded a special commendation for his MA dissertation in the prize, organised by the British Council in partnership with the British International Studies Association (BISA).

They noted:

The British Council will be publishing the dissertation.

Professor Yoram Gorlizki awarded British Academy Senior Research Fellowship

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 17:01:00 +0100

The outgoing Head of Department of Politics, , has been awarded a British Academy Senior Research Fellowship to complete a long-standing book project on A Soviet Rule of Law: Justice and the Constitution in Soviet Russia.

Gorlizki is one of 11 2023/24 awardees of the . His project will provide the first in-depth analysis of a major Soviet policy to ask whether it might be possible to have a particular form of the rule of law in an authoritarian state.

In doing so it builds on and extends a growing body of work on the “authoritarian rule of law” and poses questions—such as “How does a rule of law emerge?” and “What is the role of constitutions in dictatorship?”—which can shed new light on how authoritarian regimes function.

Election 2024: current positions and post-election aims for each party

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 13:22:40 +0100

With polls predicting huge losses for the Conservatives and huge gains for Labour, the election campaign so far has focused on the battle between the two biggest parties in Westminster. But the parliamentary dynamics are exceptionally fluid this year. Here’s a summary of where every party in Westminster currently stands – and where they are hoping to be after July 4.

Conservatives: 346 seats and everything to lose

Sunak’s Conservatives held 346 seats when he called the election. They started with 365 after the 2019 election but have lost since then. Several other former Conservative MPs have defected to other parties and others have been suspended.

A hefty chunk of the party’s current MPs , leaving newly selected candidates to fight what is likely to be an incredibly difficult campaign for the party.

The Conservatives are almost guaranteed to be sitting on the opposition benches in the next parliament, with one recent poll suggesting they could fall to just 66 seats – their . This could put them in dangerous territory. It would be a humiliation for Sunak if the party performed so poorly that it fell into third place behind the Liberal Democrats.

Against this backdrop, winning 150 seats or more would be a pretty decent showing.

Labour: 205 seats and hoping for 400

The Labour Party won in the 2019 general election under its former leader Jeremy Corbyn. This has increased slightly since then, through a combination of defecting Conservative MPs and byelections. Labour with 205 seats.

The party’s in Blackpool last month, where Chris Webb won 58% of the vote, was the sixth time Labour won a byelection with a swing of more than 20% since 2019. This bodes well for election day, where Starmer will be keen to try to win a comfortable majority and, if recent polling is correct, in the House of Commons.

Scottish National Party: 43 MPs and worried

The SNP have had some spectacular performances in recent general elections, bringing 56 MPs to the House of Commons in 2015, 35 in 2017 and 48 in 2019. But the party has struggled somewhat in the current parliament. It has lost three MPs to defections and the suspensions of Patrick Grady following sexual assault allegations and Margaret Ferrier for COVID rule-breaking shattered the SNP’s previously clean image in Westminster.

The SNP therefore heads into this election with 43 MPs. The party is battling two fronts, with the Alba party threatening to split the nationalist vote and Labour looking to win as many of Scotland’s 57 seats as possible.

Labour won Ferrier’s old seat in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection with a and polling suggests they will from the SNP on July 4.

Liberal Democrats: 15 seats and wanting third place

The Liberal Democrats won 11 seats in the 2019 general election and this has since risen to 15 through four successful byelections. The party performed very strongly in recent local elections, gaining more councillors than Sunak’s Conservatives. Party Leader Ed Davey had a lot of fun over the first week of the campaign and won the party a lot of in the process.

Seats like , where the Liberal Democrats lost out to the Conservatives by just a few hundred votes in 2019, will surely turn yellow. With the SNP predicted to lose many of its Scottish seats, the Lib Dems will be hoping that they can reclaim their position as the official third party at Westminster.

Democratic Unionist Party: seven seats and struggling after scandal

The DUP won eight seats in 2019 but technically lost one when Jeffrey Donaldson resigned . His seat in Lagan Valley has not yet been filled and will be hotly contested, particularly as Donaldson himself is not standing. DUP leader Gavin Robinson will have a tough battle in East Belfast against Alliance party leader Naomi Long.

Sinn Féin: standing aside in key seats

Sinn Féin won seven seats in 2019. However, in line with its abstentionist policy, the party’s elected representatives never took their seats in the House of Commons. The party has already confirmed that it in four of Northern Ireland’s 18 constituencies and will encourage its supporters to vote against Sunak’s Conservatives in those seats. This should work in the Alliance Party’s favour. One of Sinn Féin’s existing MPs – Michelle Gildernew – will also not be standing.

Plaid Cymru: hoping for gains on a new electoral map

Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru won four seats in 2019. They fell to just three MPs in 2020 when Jonathan Edwards . Edwards, who has sat as an independent MP for most of the last parliament, has stood down, as has Hywel Williams, a hard working Plaid MP who has been in the Commons for over 20 years.

Plaid will be hoping to retain Williams’ Arfon seat, alongside those of the party’s Westminster leader Liz Saville-Roberts and Ben Lake, both of whom won with comfortable majorities in 2019 with Conservative candidates in second place.

Boundary changes mean that most constituencies in Wales have changed, but the party will be hoping to win back Edwards’s seat in the new Caerfyrddin constituency and perhaps to add Ynys Môn, held by Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie in 2019 with a relatively slender majority of just under 2000.

Alba: fighting its first election

Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond’s pro-independence Alba party only formed in 2021, so this is its first ever general election campaign. It did however have two MPs in the last parliament, thanks to defections.

The addition of Alba to Scottish ballot papers threatens to split the nationalist vote and will make the election even more challenging for the SNP.

Social Democratic and Labour Party: aiming to hold two seats

Northern Ireland’s SDLP returned two MPs in 2019 and will hope to retain them. The party has been inconsistent in recent elections, and even lost all its seats in 2017.

The nature of Northern Irish politics and electoral pacts between unionist and nationalist parties makes it difficult to predict what will happen here. The SDLP has, however, committed itself to fielding candidates in . Its leader Colum Eastwood won his Foyle seat at the last election, as did .

Alliance: hoping to take a key DUP seat

The centrist Alliance party, also specific to Northern Ireland, has never had more than one MP in the House of Commons. The party’s deputy leader Stephen Farry won the North Down seat for the party in 2019, though the DUP came a close second. Party leader Naomi Long will be trying to unseat the DUP Leader Gavin Robinson for the third time, having lost by 1,819 votes in 2019. She previously held the seat between 2010 and 2015.

The party has had growing success in the Northern Ireland Assembly, where it became the third largest party in 2022. Translating this into more Westminster seats will be tricky, but returning two MPs would be a good result.

Greens: targeting Bristol and Brighton

The Green Party’s one and only MP, Caroline Lucas, from parliament last year. She was the party’s first ever elected MP, holding her Brighton Pavilion constituency since 2010. The Greens are desperately hoping that former party co-leader Siân Berry can hold Lucas’s old seat.

The Greens are also eying up Bristol Central, where the party’s current co-leader Carla Denyer is standing against Labour’s sitting MP Thangam Debbonaire in what could be a real neck-and-neck fight. The party is already the largest party on Bristol Council. On a national level, it will be hoping to perform even better than the 2019 election, when it received a pretty respectable 860,000 votes. With last month, the Green party could hit 1 million votes this time.

Reform UK: causing trouble for the Tories

Reform UK had one sitting MP in the last Parliament, following from the Conservatives. Defections like this are how most small or new parties end up with House of Commons seats. Anderson won his seat with a 5,000 majority in 2019 and has a high profile thanks to his regular controversial contributions. But retaining his seat under a new party label will be very tricky.

Reform UK is fielding candidates across England, Scotland and Wales. It could take a substantial number of votes from the Conservatives, but the electoral system will probably mean that these votes are not concentrated enough to win more than the odd seat.

Workers Party of Great Britain: taking aim at Labour

This relatively new political party held just one seat in the last parliament, thanks to George Galloway’s Rochdale byelection success in February. Galloway will campaign to hold this seat and the party is hoping to woo Labour voters with its claims that Starmer is from Sunak. With a of candidates for such a new party, it could prove something of an annoyance.

, Senior Lecturer in Politics,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Team led by Professor Rachel Gibson awarded a Smart Data Research UK grant

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 15:30:00 +0100

The team was one of seven awarded a total of £1.8 million under the Smart Data Research UK scheme. This project will improve how browser and social media information can be anonymised and linked to survey data responses.

Researchers can then use this data to help answer a range of important research questions, such as what determines our exposure to news and entertainment sources and how this affects our political choices, feelings toward other people and trust in governing institutions.

The interdisciplinary research team also includes co-PIs from and from .

is Professor of Political Science. Her research focuses on the impact of new information and communication technologies on political parties, with particular focus on elections and campaigning.

is Lecturer in Politics. Her research expertise is in the fields of political participation and political communication, particularly looking at the effects of digital media.

Jamie J. Hagen new Lecturer in Global Politics

Wed, 22 May 2024 12:39:00 +0100

Jamie J. Hagen is currently a Lecturer in International Relations at Queen’s University Belfast, where she is the founding co-director of the Center for Gender in Politics. Her work sits at the intersection of gender, security studies, and queer theory.

Hagen brings a feminist, anti-racist approach to her work, bridging gaps between academics, policy, and activist spaces. She was the lead researcher on a British Academy Innovation Fellowship (2022-2023) focusing on improving engagement with lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer women in Women, Peace, and Security Programming.

Her research in this field is published in the Journal of Gender Studies, International Affairs, Critical Studies in Security, the International Feminist Journal of Politics, and the European Journal of Gender and Politics as well as in the Washington Post, London School of Economics’ Women Peace and Security Blog, the International Peace Institute’s Global Observatory, and other outlets.

Hagen is co-editor of the edited volume (BUP) and co-developed the (English/Spanish).

Luke Bhatia has received a SU award for Commitment to Decolonising the Curriculum

Tue, 21 May 2024 14:21:00 +0100

Dr Luke Bhatia, Lecturer in Global Politics, has won an award at the Student Union awards for ‘creating safe space for global majority student and staff and supporting student-led campaigns to make Politics more diverse’.

Bhatia has been co-chairing the Student-Staff BAME network as well as working with the newly founded Diversify Politics student society. Diversify Politics won the New Society Award.

Luke Bhatia teaches on and convenes a number of units at the , including Human Rights in World Politics and Comparative Political Analysis.

Tian Liu appointed as Lecturer in Global Political Economy

Fri, 10 May 2024 11:57:00 +0100

Liu completed his doctoral degree in sociology at the John Hopkins University. His research uses comparative-historical methods to examine the uneven development of capitalism across space and time, as well as its multifold crises.

Some of his specific research interests include the political economy of development, food and land governance, state capacity, institutional change, and social reproduction.

Liu’s recent works have appeared in the Journal of Peasant Studies, Development and Change, and Journal of Development Studies.

He is currently working on a book that examines the macro-historical origins, divergent local trajectories, and contrasting distributional impacts of agrarian capitalist transformation in post-reform China.

Liu will be joining the Politics Department in September.

Hannah Wright appointed as Lecturer in Global Politics

Wed, 08 May 2024 17:29:14 +0100

Dr Hannah Wright joins the Politics Department from Queen Mary University of London, where she holds an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship. Prior to that, she was Research Officer at the LSE Centre for Women, Peace, and Security.

Hannah’s research addresses the relationships among gender, race, class, militarism, and coloniality, focusing on how masculinity and femininity shape security institutions and practices. She employs ethnographic method to study security policymaking.

She has published in journals such as International Feminist Journal of Politics and Political Science and Politics.

She has also published a number of policy reports on issues relating to gender, peace and security.

Wright will be joining the Politics department in September.

Jess Gifkins’s report Queering Atrocity Prevention cited at UN meeting

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 12:41:39 +0100

Dr Jess Gifkins’s has co-authored the report Queering Atrocity Prevention in collaboration with the charity Protection Approaches, which works to change how the world views and thereby prevents identity-based violence.

During the United Nations Security Council Arria-formula Meeting at the end of March, the report was cited by both the UK delegation and the UN’s Independent Expert of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

The report can be read and downloaded and the meeting recording is available .

Dr Michael Magcamit awarded Leverhulme International Fellowship

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 16:42:08 +0100

Dr Michael Magcamit from the Department of Politics at the University of Manchester was recently awarded a Leverhulme International Fellowship of £31,000 for his research project ‘Decolonising Japanese peacebuilding through the affective peace framework’ starting on 1 June 2024.

Leverhulme International Fellowships are awarded to established researchers to develop new knowledge, skills in one or more research centres outside of the UK.

Michael Magcamit’s research explores Japan’s role in peacebuilding in Southeast Asia which is home to some of the most virulent and enduring ethno-religious conflicts in the world. For its peace mission, Japan currently implements traditional Western-defined peacebuilding projects limited to resource mobilisation and economic revitalisation. Michael’s project maps out a different approach, focusing instead on an affective peace framework recognising the central place held by emotions, symbols, and perceptions in resolving conflicts.

The project is a collaboration between the University of Manchester and the Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (GSHSS) in Japan. The team’s objectives are to design a decolonial affect-based peace framework and prepare a collaborative grant application to test the value of the framework. |

Commenting on the project, Dr Michael Magcamit said:

‘Achieving sustainable peace is impossible without explicitly recognizing and directly addressing the invisible, albeit powerful, emotive, symbolic, and perceptual residues simultaneously driving and produced by violent protracted conflicts.

The project aims to address this problem by exploring how an affect-based approach to peacebuilding can be developed by drawing on the outcomes from Japan’s extensive peace programs in Southeast Asia’s conflict-affected communities.’

You can read more about this project and Dr Michael Magcamit’s research on his .

Lama Tawakkol awarded a BISA Early-Career Research Grant

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:28:12 +0100

will be researching the water-for-energy deal as a lens (geo)politics, capitalist relations and power asymmetries in the region, particularly as they pertain to water governance and politics in Jordan.

Tawakool is a Lecturer in International Relations who specialises in capitalism and the global political economy. Her research focuses on the politics of development policy and aid, in particular its impact on states and marginalised populations in the Middle East.

See .

Toni Haastrup elected Chair of the University Association for Contemporary European Studies

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:34:45 +0100

Commenting on her new role, Haastrup said:

‘has been a cornerstone of my professional life, from PhD student to Professor. I have benefited from this community which has emphasised the importance of collaboration, critical thinking and inclusion across a range of its activities. I now seek to build on that work as Chair.’

Toni Haastrup is Chair in Global Politics at the University of Manchester. Her research covers a wide range of topics within international studies, including peace and security in Africa, feminist, postcolonial and decolonial approaches to international relations, and regional and global governance.

China’s public wants to make a living, not war, writes Tao Wang for Foreign Policy

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:16:00 +0100

In , Wang writes that ‘the mood among [Chinese] social media users is a sharp departure from past elections’, referring to the recent Taiwanese presidential election:

‘In 2024, however, things have changed. The most recent Taiwanese presidential election—in which the (DPP) won a repeat victory—served as an uncomfortable reminder to the Chinese public that neither Taiwanese politicians nor voters are interested in Beijing’s plans for political unification. Although the forceful unification narrative still exists, any push from nationalists to reignite war fever has now run into a wall of skepticism following the DPP victory.’

is Hallsworth Research Fellow in Chinese Political Economy.

Peter Gries comments on Hong Kong’s new security law

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 15:53:54 +0000

Hong Kong’s government has introduced a that critics argue targets political freedoms. Professor Peter Gries, founding Director of the , talked to iNews about the new bill. ‘Politically’, he said, ‘the new bill puts another stake in the coffin of Hong Kong’s political autonomy.’

He also commented on the potential financial impact of the bill on Hong Kong and China:

‘The timing of the new bill could not be worse for , as ‘state secrets’ are defined to include the basic economic information foreign companies require to invest in China.’

is Professor of Chinese Politics.

Workshop on Ian Bruff’s article ‘The Rise of Authoritarian Neoliberalism’ – 10 years on

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 13:36:07 +0000

article has become a seminal text in political economy and the social sciences more broadly.

The article argued ‘that we are witnessing the rise of authoritarian neoliberalism, which is rooted in the reconfiguring of the state into a less democratic entity through constitutional and legal changes that seek to insulate it from social and political conflict.’

Ten years on from its publication, the will celebrate and reflect on the article’s impact. It will ask how the concept of ‘’ maps on to a world that in many ways looks different now than a decade ago.

The workshop is open to paper submissions and it will also host a roundtable featuring Dr Ian Bruff and a number of experts.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is Friday, 19 April 2024.

Ian Bruff is a Senior Lecturer in European Politics. His publications include the 2020 co-edited (with Cemal Burak Tansel) book .

Professor Rob Ford analyses the Rochdale by-election

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 18:06:18 +0000

In a blog for UK in a Changing Europe, analyses the circumstances behind Galloway’s surprising victory in the . Ford argues that the large swing to Galloway must be understood against the unique circumstances of the by-election, such that Labour’s disavowal of their own candidate.

‘Rochdale was almost like a natural experiment to see how low the Labour vote would go if voters are given no information, are not mobilised, and are actively discouraged from supporting the party’s candidate. It is difficult to imagine more favourable circumstances for outsiders and insurgents.’

Nonetheless, Ford maintains that the Rochdale results may still worry Labour in a volatile electoral landscape where they can no longer rely on old loyalties.

Professor Rob Ford is co-author of , published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Connected strategies for net zero and levelling up

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 11:54:02 +0000

, and discuss the approach, which they have developed at the at ��:

‘JUST entails three core ideas that together enable a shift toward principles that respond to complex social and political conditions that currently block progress towards the scale of change needed to tackle the interlocking crises of climate, care, cost of living, and more.’

Further, given the political backlash against net zero strategies, they argue that the ‘JUST approach has potential to counteract negative assumptions and fears that reduce public support for climate policy, by overcoming mistrust through participative strategies, targeting policy action to reduce not intensify inequalities, and to generate spaces for imagining and valuing new ways of living.’