Government Cluster

Research within the Government and Political Institutions cluster examines the nature and functioning of state level and other political institutions. The cluster brings lecturing and research staff within the School together with research students to provide an environment where cluster research and new ideas can be discussed and developed.

The core interests of the cluster include:-

• the changing forms of executive power;
• theoretical, methodological and substantive studies of representation within democratic states;
• the study of the policy process and the relationship between government and national identity.

Current research is focussed on specific regions within Europe, the USA, the Middle East and North Africa. 

Members of the Government cluster are currently supervising PhD students across a wide range of topics. Enquiries about opportunities for PhD supervision by cluster members are particularly invited in the following areas:

• British protest politics and political activism (Dr Gidon Cohen)
• United States politics, including domestic and foreign policy (Professor John Dumbrell)
• Politics of the Arab-Israeli conflict; the political economy of North Africa and the Middle East (Dr Emma Murphy)
• Politics of the European Union; bilateral relations in the European Union (Dr Christian Schweiger)
• Political scandal; political corruption; policing and military sociology (Dr Stephen Welch)
• Politics and literature in 1980s Britain; German national identity (Dr Ruth Wittlinger)
• German politics (Dr Christian Schweiger and Dr Ruth Wittlinger)
• US-European security and foreign policy relations (Dr Christian Schweiger and Professor John Dumbrell)  
• Religion and politics in Latin America; new political actors, cultural identity and globalisation (Dr Joanildo Burity)