Research Groups: Political Economy
The political economy research group is diverse in its empirical interests and inclusive in its theoretical and methodological range. Yet it is unified by a desire to promote and develop interdisciplinary research into the interactions between political and economic power, and by a shared aim to bring together the disparate academic locations where comparative, development, environmental and international political economy are studied and to forge a new unity in the field in the spirit of classical political economy.
Core foci of current research within the group include: the political economy of development, the comparative political economy of neoliberalism, the politics of international trade, the transition to democracy and everyday political economy.
Staff Research Projects and Interests
Jean Grugel's research interests centre broadly on democracy, governance, human rights and citizenship in the developing world, with a strong regional focus on Latin America. Within this, her current research projects include: social activism and advocacy movements in challenging circumstances; children in the global political economy; the changing architecture of regionalism and its significance for IPE theory; the political economy of post-neoliberalism.
Graham Harrison's current research focuses on the history of neoliberalsim in Africa and the politics of Africa campaigning in the UK. He has other ongoing research interests in governance and the World Bank, as well as theories of sovereignty and intervention. He has spent the last 13 years carrying out research in eastern Africa.
Colin Hay´s research interests are diverse, ranging widely from the role of economic analogies in modern political systems, via the development of the state and the welfare state in the postwar period, to the comparative political economy of European integration and globalisation. These seemingly disparate research strands are linked by a common concern to interrogate and elucidate the often complex and contingent processes of change which characterise the advanced liberal democracies, together with a desire to locate these polities and political economies within their broader comparative and international settings.
Tony Heron specialises in the theory and practice of international and comparative political economy, especially in relation to the politics of international trade and development. His work focuses on, among others things, trade, aid and development; World Trade Organisation and global and regional economic governance; the political economy of small states; liberalisation and adjustment in the textiles and clothing industry; and, most recently, the EU´s Economic Partnership Agreements.
John Hobson's research interests range across a variety of areas. Specifically, he works in the vortex of three key areas of research. Most recently he has worked and published in the area of everyday political economy, which dovetails with his interest in non-Eurocentric analyses of inter-civilizational relations. He is also researching the origins and development of globalization through an inter-civilizational perspective. This in turn dovetails with his long-term interest in the 'historical sociology of international relations'. These three inter-related theoretical frameworks underpin his interests within political economy and IPE.
Tony Payne specialises in the politics of the Caribbean, international political economy and the politics of development.
Georgina Waylen's research interests have focused on gender, transitions to democracy, governance and institutionalism. Within this her current research projects include engendering institutional theory and its potential for feminist scholarship, the gendering of post conflict institutional design and ceremony and ritual in parliaments.
PhD Members
Darlington Ashamole
Mark Duncan
Gabriel Siles Brügge
Jewellord Nem Singh
Ali Onur Ozcelik
Amy Barnes
Terri-Ann Gilbert Roberts
Romualdo Santos
Louisa Shilton
Joerg Wiegratz
Aalok Kanwar
Oybek Madiyev
Ang Nimid
Laura White
John Smith
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