UCL Political Science

New research shows how trust and government effectiveness shaped COVID-19 spending more than regime type or political cycles.
Study by Mike Seiferling in Public Finance Review. buff.ly/EalCimo

Research: pressure for short-term profits jeopardizes climate investment | Institute for Business in Global Society A new study shows there is often a direct connection between the need for short-term profits and opposition to climate regulation.

Short-term profit motives lead companies to oppose climate reforms, shows new research from Jared Finnegan (UCL Political Science) and Jonas Meckling (Harvard Business School)

Trump's endgame in Ukraine - and why he can never tame Putin Putin has ramped up attacks on Ukraine, putting Trump's hopes of a ceasefire even further away

Trump's endgame in Ukraine - and why he can never tame Putin
“I think he wants to be seen as a respected world leader. I don’t think he actually cares ultimately, about any of the issues at stake,” Dr Jonathan Monten on President Trump’s public persona.

Dr Schenoni delivers a lecture

Dr Schenoni stands by a statue of Wasada Uni founder Ōkuma Shigenobu

Dr Schenoni stands on Wasada university campus

@llschenoni.bsky.social's 'Bringing War Back In' received an Honorable Mention for the Levine Prize at #IPSA2025 🇰🇷 and is now required reading for PhD comps at Waseda University 🇯🇵 🏅

As a Visiting Fellow at IDE-JETRO, he’s also given talks at Hitotsubashi, Kobe, and the U of Tokyo. buff.ly/PV69HL9

The legal climate for UK oil and gas The legal climate for UK oil and gas

Panel Discussion: The legal climate for UK oil and gas
24 July 2025, 6:00 pm–8:30 pm
Free to attend and open to all
Register:

How Trump is using the 'Madman Theory' to try to change the world Political scientists have a term for the tactic, that has been used by some leaders including Nixon, to persuade adversaries that they are temperamentally capable of anything, to extract concessions.…

"People won't want to do business with the US if they don't trust the US in negotiations, if they're not sure the US will stand by them in defence and security issues,” said Professor Julie Norman on President Trump’s foreign policies.

There are many things American voters agree on, from fears about technology to threats to democracy Americans of both parties are worried about Trump having a third term, and have other shared concerns.

Analysis: There are many things American voters agree on
Emma Connolly @uclspeechlab.bsky.social explores the issues, from fears about technology to threats to democracy, that voters on both sides of the political divide agree in The Conversation.

Nearly two-thirds of voters think Starmer doesn’t respect them – new poll 63% of respondents said Keir Starmer does not respect people like them.

One year into the new government, Director of @uclpolicylab.bsky.social, Professor Marc Stears (UCL Political Science), assesses new polling in The Conversation that suggest voters think the Prime Minister doesn’t respect them.

BISA 2025 prize winners announced We're delighted to announce the winners of this year's BISA prizes.

Congratulations to Valentina Amuso for receiving an honorable mention in the BISA 2025 Early Career Excellence in Teaching International Studies Prize!

Counterspeech encouraging users to adopt the perspective of minority groups reduces hate speech and its amplification on social media - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Counterspeech encouraging users to adopt the perspective of minority groups reduces hate speech and its amplification on social media

📢 In a new online field experiment, we find that #counterspeech with perspective-based messages can reduce online hate speech, and its 🌟amplification🌟

with a large research team across #ETHZurich @ipz.bsky.social @uclspp.bsky.social and beyond

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Britain’s tough new climate test • Fergus Green Britain has leapfrogged Australia with strong rules for proposed fossil fuel projects

The UK's strong new climate test for proposed oil & gas projects casts Australia's environmental impact assessment laws in an unflattering light: my new piece in ‪Inside Story‬ insidestory.org.au/britains-tou... @uclspp.bsky.social @uclpolicylab.bsky.social @insidestory.bsky.social

A new Gaza ceasefire deal is on the table – will this time be different? Israel and Hamas both have reasons to want a ceasefire. But they are different.

🖋️"There is no shortage of reasons to end the war in Gaza. The only question is if Israel and Hamas have the will to do so"

Prof Julie Norman @uclspp.bsky.social examines the 60-day ceasefire in Gaza put forward by Qatari mediators in @uk.theconversation.com.

theconversation.com/a-new-gaza-c...

The latest episode of 'Uncovering Politics' looks at the UK general election of 2024. How did its remarkable result come about? What does this tell us about underlying forces in British politics?

Hosted by @alanrenwick.bsky.social @uclspp.bsky.social

Listen now: linktr.ee/uclpolitical...

Minister for the Cabinet Office delivers keynote speech at Constitution Unit conference Nick Thomas-Symonds MP gave the keynote speech on the first day of the Constitution Unit’s annual conference today, focusing on what constitutional reform means for UK democracy and the public.

Did you see Nick Thomas-Symonds speak at our conference this morning?

The Minister for the Constitution gave the keynote speech and answered questions, including from the audience.

Five panels of our conference remain, so make sure that you are signed up!

Read a summary and watch a recording 👇

We have new opinion polling on House of Lords reform!

There is overwhelming public support to go beyond the government's current plans to remove hereditary peers (due to be debated in the Lords on Wednesday), including to limit prime ministerial appointments and cap the chamber's size.

A thread 👇

Throughout June UCL staff and doctoral students attended Transform: Creating impact through knowledge exchange, a series of events and workshops designed to help them transform their research and knowledge into real world impact.

Read more: bit.ly/3ZVNUNf

#UCLTransform

Donald Trump's approval rating changes after "No Kings" protest The "No Kings" protests took place in hundreds of U.S. cities and were attended by an estimated 4 to 6 million people.

Trump's approval rating hits -6.
- Dr Thomas Gift said: “While Trump still needs to think about how his national popularity shapes his mandate, and the amount of room his fellow Republicans in Congress give him to manoeuvre, the usual re-election pressures no longer apply.”

Globalisation and trade exposure drives demand for political lobbyists Businesses facing economic pressures, particularly increased trade competition, are more likely to turn to politically connected lobbyists in an effort to safeguard their commercial interests, finds…

Businesses facing economic pressures, particularly increased trade competition, are more likely to turn to politically connected lobbyists in an effort to safeguard their commercial interests, finds a new study led by Professor David Coen.

So proud of @ioannagkoutna.bsky.social (one of our great @uclspp.bsky.social PhD candidates) for expertly organizing a wonderful workshop with cherished UK-based colleagues working on gender politics! Appreciate this community and their fantastic contributions (both in general & to this workshop!).

My latest article explores Turkey’s relationship with BRICS in the context of shifting global power dynamics and domestic politics. Published in the South African Journal of International Affairs as part of a special issue on BRICS and the global order. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

We’re hiring!
A 3-year Postdoc (starting Oct 2025) on an ERC/UKRI-funded project on access to justice and international human rights courts.
PhD in Law or Political Science with quantitative methods experience required.
Deadline: 4th July.
Interviews: Week of 21st July.
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...

Rosebank oilfield: why more UK oil means more global emissions It’s a myth that producing oil with lower upstream emissions benefits the climate.

My piece in @uk.theconversation.com tries to bust myths in the UK oil & gas debate (esp. re Rosebank) that distract from a simple truth: more oil means more emissions. argumentshttps://theconversation.com/rosebank-oilfield-why-more-uk-oil-means-more-global-emissions-253055 @uclspp.bsky.social

The joy of the teaching track: Learning and Teaching in Politics and International Studies - Cathy Elliott, Ellen Watts, Kalina Zhekova, Keith Smith, Rose Gann, Madeleine Le Bourdon, 2025 In recent years, the number of academic jobs in research-intensive universities that are described as ‘academic education route’, ‘teaching and scholarship’, or...

If you're intrigued by the slide in the picture, please do have a read of this article which says more about the joy of the teaching track and the politics of the emotions that go with it: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
@uclspp.bsky.social

Can the law fix injustice without a villain?

Structural injustices like climate change or systemic racism aren’t caused by a single bad actor—but law may be key to solving them.

Listen to our latest episode with Prof George Letsas: buff.ly/eU0fSXd

Central Bankers Bow to Political Winds When It Comes to Climate, Study Shows Central bank independence is about more than just interest rates.

Central bank policy on climate topics is more influenced by national politics than science and financial data: buff.ly/rE4pHhx (£)
Read the original article by Esther Shears, ‪@jonasmeckling.bsky.social‬ & Jared J. Finnegan in Nature Energy: buff.ly/BSxMNkX (£)

JOB CALL: Research Fellow / Research Assistant with co-authorship—quantitative text analysis for social science (UCL) – AdJUST Towards a just energy transition

‪@fergusgreen.bsky.social‬ is hiring a short-term postdoc (think "summer project"), or PhD-student RA, with advanced expertise in quantitative text analysis to support myself and Dr Marion Dumas (LSE) in a European Horizon-funded grant project. Details here

Former President of Ireland receives honorary degree from UCL Mary McAleese, President of Ireland 1997- 2011, has been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws in recognition of her outstanding contribution to political and public life, and her work on…

Congratulations Mary McAleese on being awarded an honorary Doctorate in yesterday's graduation ceremony. Mary gave an inspiring and heart warming acceptence speech. It is wonderful to have her join our university.

Very grateful to the @conunitucl.bsky.social for having me back in London to meet Mary McAleese before she received her honorary doctorate from @ucl.ac.uk

Meet your heroes!

📣 IIPP is hiring - Join the team!

We are looking for a new Policy Fellow, specializing in Green Industrial Strategy and Green Finance, to join IIPP Director @mazzucatom.bsky.social 's office to assist in advancing policy reports, leading projects, and more.

🔗 Learn more and apply: buff.ly/xQhUEfE

We're hiring a short-term postdoc (think "summer project"), or PhD-student RA, with advanced expertise in quantitative text analysis to support myself and Dr Marion Dumas (LSE) in a European Horizon-funded grant project. Details here adjust-project.eu/job-call/