Our Research

Politics research

Our research is anchored in contemporary political realities. We tackle current challenges through historical, comparative and digital lenses. Our aim is to find workable solutions and provide policy recommendation to improve the relationship between citizens and politicians, communities and government, and actively benefit disadvantaged and marginalised communities, which in turn can positively impact the state of our democracy. We use a range of methodological approaches – archival, discursive, computational, ethnographic – to study democratization, ideologies, activism, campaigning, political communication and human rights.

Research Highlights

How to Bring Down a Trade Union (Or: How to Stop Your Boss from Trampling on Your Rights) – Dr Steven Daniels

Dr Steven Daniels has examined trade union decline since the 1980s. Looking at the Thatcher Government and the National Union of Mineworkers as a case study, his research argues that not only was a decline in trade union influence desirable, but it was actively planned for by the government. The process of reducing that influence started with Thatcher, and was achieving using morally, ethically, and even legally questionable tactics.

So all-encompassing was this decline, that trade unions today have only a fraction of the power and influence they once had, which is devastating for millions of workers. Workers often question what the point of joining a trade union is. This decline has consequences not only for industry (coal is now extinct in the UK, with other heavy industry on life support), but communities as well, who are now forced to accept low-quality jobs from exploitative employers. Symbolically, Sports Direct opened their UK warehouse on the site of Shirebrook Colliery in Derbyshire, with conditions so bad it prompted a Parliamentary inquiry.

Some influential trade unions continue but remain in constant battle with employers and governments who know they enjoy most of the leverage. Dr Daniels’ research offers either a battle plan, or a warning: employers and governments could use it to marginalise a troublesome group with the minimal amount of direct conflict. Similarly, workers could use this blueprint to watch out for the signs of yet further reductions in influence, or even, their working conditions.

The digital technologies we use daily are changing how we conduct politics – it is imperative we learn how – Dr Liam McLoughlin

We live in an era where platforms like TikTok and even AI change how citizens learn and talk about political issues. Dr Liam McLoughlin’s research explores the complex intersection between digital technology and democracy. How is politics communicated, contested, and experienced in everyday political life? His work uses theories from political communication, digital media, and platform governance to explore how online infrastructure, including social networks, recommendation feeds, and platform language, shape the flow of information and alter citizen engagement.

His work makes use of a blend of qualitative analysis of social media, computational methods, and established political methods to explore the above. Recent projects include:

• How short-form video (TikTok/Instagram Reels) has changed political parties’ general election campaigns in the United Kingdom, with a focus on the General Election of 2024.
• Ways in which campaign managers have used Artificial Intelligence across five international elections.
• The role of online platforms in facilitating abusive messages and harassment towards those in political life.
• How political memes can engage and inform citizens of policy issues.
• If effective content moderation systems, and those who control them, can facilitate deliberative and civil online political talk.

Dr McLoughlin’s research contributes to debates about the future of political communication in the current digital landscape, offering insights into how platforms mediate our politics and reshape the power dynamics between the media, politicians, and citizens. He is also Convenor of the Technology, Internet, and Policy (TIP) group at the British Political Studies Association, which seeks to facilitate wider discussion of these issues and bridge the gap between academia, practitioners, and policymakers.

Come in, take your shoes off and shut the door! How do migrants experience settlement and integration? – Prof Ruxandra Trandafoiu

Mass emigration has been a defining feature of many Eastern European societies since the fall of communism. It has also impacted Western European societies. Prof Trandafoiu’s research with diasporic communities looks at the historical, cultural and political conditions for emigration and its impact on the country of origin. In parallel, her research engages with migrant settlement, including instances of community disengagement and potential radicalization of marginalized unsettled individuals. She uses digital, ethnographic and participatory research to study the political activism of diasporic groups in a context in which both public opinion and political parties view migrants with hostility. Recent work includes:

• Migrants’ emotions and their identity performance within hostile political environments
• The impact of Brexit on EU nationals in the UK
• The political relevance of diasporic filmmaking
• Transnational nationhood in Eastern Europe
• Facebook as an entrepreneurship platform for migrant groups
• The gendering of presidential political campaigns in Romania
• Cultural policy and music festivals as a tool for post-socialist branding