Dr Richard Johnson

Senior Lecturer

Politics

Personal statement

I joined the School of Government and Public Policy in 2013, after completing a PhD in Political Science at the University of California, Davis. I also hold a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles along with an awesome AA in Liberal Arts from Long Beach Community College.

My broad interests revolve around the arms trade, international conflict processes (and their effect on domestic politcal processes), and international conflict management.

A full CV can be downloaded from my webpage at: www.richard-johnson.net

Expertise

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Prize And Awards

The Data Lab MSc Programme: Recipient; 21/2/2020
Strathclyde Teaching Excellence Award: Recipient; 2015

More prizes and awards

Publications

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Publications

Building cybersecurity capacity : a framework of analysis for national cybersecurity strategies: Craig Anthony J S, Johnson Richard A I, Gallop Max; Journal of Cyber Policy Vol 7, pp. 375-398 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1080/23738871.2023.2178318
Arms transfers and international relations theory : situating military aircraft sales in the broader IR context: Johnson Richard, Willardson Spencer; Conflict Management and Peace Science Vol 39, pp. 191-213 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1177/0738894221992034
The Security of 5G : Written Evidence Submitted by the University of Strathclyde: Paul Greig, Irvine James, Johnson Richard, Craig Anthony; (2020)
Decision-making in the arms of a dependent relationship : explaining shifts in importer acquisition patterns of major weapon systems, 1955-2007: Johnson Richard AI; Defence and Peace Economics (2019); https://doi.org/10.1080/10242694.2019.1618651
Trigger-happy? Military regimes and the timing of conflict: Siverson Randolph M, Johnson Richard AI; Conflict Management and Peace Science Vol 35, pp. 544-558 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1177/0738894216673614
Human rights and democratic arms transfers : rhetoric versus reality with different types of major weapon systems: Johnson Richard A I, Willardson Spencer L; International Studies Quarterly Vol 62, pp. 453-464 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqx077

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Teaching

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Teaching

I teach/have taught:

L2201 - International Relations and Global Politics
L2312 - War, Terrorism, and Conflict
L2314 - US National Security Policy
L2426 - International Security: Concepts and Issues
L2941 - Principles of Research Design
L2963 - Contemporary Security Challenges and Responses

Research

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Research Interests

My main research interests are in the following ares:

Arms trade; broadly defined and policy versus practice of individual states
Military aid allocation
Effects of arms transfers on international processes
Scientific study of conflict

The primary focus of my research revolves around arms transfers between states. My doctoral thesis focused on how arms diffuse throughout the international system, how exporters and importers choose their arms transfer partners and why importers change their behaviour by diversifying their arms networks.

I am currently engaged in two main projects. The first examines why the major powers choose to intervene (or not to intervene) in international conflict by supplying major weapon systems to the states directly involved. The second examines the decision-making process of the United States’ arms sales policies in comparison to military aid policies to determine if similar factors are at work. Both projects use extensive statistical analyses to test the hypotheses proposed.

Future work includes examining British arms transfers in comparison to the policies stated by the government in power since the end of World War II. I am also interested in how deaths of British soldiers involved in conflict affects voter behaviour.