What is character education? Why has it risen up the political agenda in the UK in recent years? And what does it mean in pedagogical practice? This book addresses these questions, challenging the individualistic and moralistic ideas underlying the clamour amongst politicians, educators and authors to promote ‘grit’, ‘resilience’ and ‘character’ in schools. Closely examining…Continue Reading The Rise of Character Education in Britain
Category: Political Engagement
Academic Fellows in Parliaments: Impact, Lessons and Challenges
Parliamentary Fellows on the Political Studies Association (PSA)/House of Commons Fellowship Scheme (also launched in November 2016) hosted a workshop in the House of Commons on 16 November 2018, together with Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) staff. The purpose of the workshop was to inform an evaluation of…Continue Reading Academic Fellows in Parliaments: Impact, Lessons and Challenges
How Public Engagement Became a Core Part of the House of Commons Select Committees
This article explores the role of public engagement by select committees of the House of Commons. It shows that committees’ public engagement activity has been transformed since 1979, when departmental select committees were introduced. We start by outlining the different elements of public engagement, showing that it entails a wide range of types of activity…Continue Reading How Public Engagement Became a Core Part of the House of Commons Select Committees
Markets for rules: the promise and peril of blockchain distributed governance
Purpose: Explore the possible contributions of blockchain technology to creating new governance structures that facilitate social cooperation. Methodology: Conceptual analysis with key ideas in new institutional economics and political theory. Findings: Blockchain technology provides a new tool through which political entrepreneurs can credibly alienate some of their power within a system of rules that they…Continue Reading Markets for rules: the promise and peril of blockchain distributed governance
Women in the Profession: An Update on the Gendered Composition of the Discipline and Political Science Departments in the UK
This article updates and broadens research undertaken eight years ago on the status of women in UK political science. As Bates et al. then argued (2012: 139-40), research on women in the discipline is important, not only because of issues of equality, justice and self-reflection within the discipline, but also because of the privileged role…Continue Reading Women in the Profession: An Update on the Gendered Composition of the Discipline and Political Science Departments in the UK
The “Youthquake” in British Politics: Myth or Reality?
This article explores whether the past few years have witnessed what can accurately be described as a “youthquake” in British politics, following the candidature and election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party. It argues that the British Election Study team, who argue that we witnessed “tremors but no…Continue Reading The “Youthquake” in British Politics: Myth or Reality?
Parliament’s engagement with the public
Parliament’s focus on engagement with the public has been relatively recent. Arguably the impetus for improving institutional engagement can be traced back to two reports. Connecting Parliament with the Public (House of Commons Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons, 2004) and Members Only? Parliament in the Public Eye (Puttnam Commission, 2005) set out the need for greater…Continue Reading Parliament’s engagement with the public
Political leadership
Mark Bennister’s ongoing research explores contemporary political leadership in various contexts. It investigates the individual and structural aspects of political leadership in the legislature. Building on his previous work, during his academic fellowship at Westminster, Dr Bennister has conducted research on the role and function of the Commons and Lords Speakers, spending time observing both in office….Continue Reading Political leadership
Unequal Europe, unequal Brexit: How intra-European inequalities shape the unfolding and framing of Brexit
This article argues that focusing on intra-European inequalities is key to a deeper understanding of the Brexit process, as the impacts of the Brexit process on core–periphery inequalities within Europe and on intra-European migrations remain under-researched topics. Focusing on sociology, this article provides a critical analysis of the burgeoning literature on Brexit, highlighting the centrality…Continue Reading Unequal Europe, unequal Brexit: How intra-European inequalities shape the unfolding and framing of Brexit