• Interior of Scottish parliament

    Politics

    Our researchers are among the very best in their field. We welcome visiting scholars, postdoctoral researchers and often invite external speakers to take part in our seminar and lecture series.

The Department of Government and Public Policy has a long history of producing world-class research. We're one of the founding members of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), the largest organisation of its kind in European political science.

We have a strong research culture that focuses on both individual and team-based research. We host two research centres:

Our research is supported by a number of grants from a variety of funding bodies, including research councils, national governments and international bodies, such as OECD and the EU.

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Parties, elections & public opinion

Elections, campaigns and political parties are central in political representation and political behaviour. Find put more about our work in this area.

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Political economy & public policy

The policymaking process is complex and an integral part of governing. Many of our staff specialise and work on the intersection of economics and politics and on questions of public policy.

London skyline at night

Political institutions

Political institutions are crucial in so many ways; in the way preferences are aggregated and representation, in how votes are translated into legislative representation, in the pace of policy reform among others. Our research addresses many important questions on the role of institutions.

Protesters in Greece

World politics

Our staff specialise in many regions of the world, including Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Find out more about what they're researching.

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International relations & international organisations

 We seek determine causes and consequences of interstate behaviour, both cooperative and conflictual, by examining the relationships between states and their relationships with international institutions.