Come and join our workshop on Meloni's impact on the management of migration in the EU, co-organised by @lse-ei.bsky.social and @psa-italian.bsky.social, with financial support by @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social!
PhD students & ECRs can apply for travel grants up to £110 to cover travel/accommodation.
Four years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reflection matters.
Margaryta Khvostova examines what the war has revealed about Europe’s vulnerabilities, from energy dependence and defence coordination to hybrid threats and institutional fragility.
📖 lnkd.in/eK2gqFxX
#LocalGovernment #LocalGovernmentReorganisation
#Devolution #Governance #PublicTrust
#CouncilLeadership #PublicPolicy #LocalDemocracy #AlinGovernment
Over the coming months we will publish:
• Practitioner briefings for councillors and senior officers
• A White Paper with national policy recommendations
• A 100 Days Playbook for new unitary authorities
• Interviews and roundtables with sector leaders
💡Local government reorganisation isn’t a merger; it’s a democratic redesign.
Today, COALFACE® Engagement and CBE have launched the Local Government Reorganisation Initiative, to help reorganised councils be governable, trusted, and effective.
Press Release: lnkd.in/e_DgKj8H
⏱️ 2 days to go!
Join us at the University of Surrey this Thursday, 12th of February, to hear from Trump scholars from across the UK!
Come prepared with your questions and hear the experts’ take on Trump’s second term.
🎟️ Get tickets here: lnkd.in/epErGg6T
Great to see my current colleague #AmeliaHadfield from @cbesurrey.bsky.social and my former colleague #BeatriceHeuser contributing thoughtful pieces to this vital debate. Are we entering a new world of spheres of influence? open.substack.com/pub/britains...
📅 Join us on the 12th of February at the University of Surrey as we host leading Trump scholars to discuss Trump’s America and its global impact.
🎟️ Register here: lnkd.in/eEmvk7tQ
In a new piece for Council on Geostrategy, @ameliahadfield1.bsky.social argues that British foreign policy is entering a fundamentally different era. Driven by Trump’s zero-sum approach to US power, intensifying competition, and rising global isolationism.
🔗 lnkd.in/e8EdSj2E
📅 Join us on 12 February at the University of Surrey as we host leading Trump scholars to discuss Trump’s America and its global impact.
🎟️ Register here: lnkd.in/eEmvk7tQ
What should we make of #Trump2.0 so far? What comes next & what might his legacy be? Join Trump experts at the
@uniofsurrey.bsky.social in #Guildford on Feb 12 as we discuss #TrumpUnbound (soon to be a #Palgrave edited collection) hosted by #SurreyPolitics and @cbesurrey.bsky.social: free to attend
🇺🇸 Join Trump scholars from across the UK as we discuss the challenges posed by Trump 2.0.
The discussion draws on chapters from the forthcoming volume Trump Unbound (out October 2026).
🕰️ 5:30–7:30 | 📍 AP1, Austin Pearce Building, University of Surrey
🎟 Register: lnkd.in/epErGg6T
Europe’s security moment of truth has arrived‼️
Margaryta Khvostova and Professor Amelia Hadfield argue that recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and renewed interest in Greenland are not isolated shocks, but clear warnings…
🔗 lnkd.in/eEsiD_x3
@cepa.org #europeansecurity #USEU #venezuela #greenland
Happy New Year! 🎉
To begin 2026, we’re sharing our New Year’s Long Read on EU–UK security and defence cooperation written by Professor Amelia Hadfield and Tea Zyberaj. The article looks back over a pivotal year marked by shifting geopolitics and the EU-UK reset.
🔗 lnkd.in/ey6wcq53
💡New report launched today by Professor Amelia Hadfield and Margaryta Khvostova calls for stronger UK-EU defence cooperation to tackle rising hybrid and conventional threats. A timely push to turn the current reset in relations into a strategic security partnership.
🔗 lnkd.in/eD7es-3q
@chathamhouse.org @uniofsurrey.bsky.social
@ameliahadfield1.bsky.social and Margaryta Khvostova argue Russia’s new “peace deal” is a strategic bid to cement territorial gains, coerce Kyiv, and rewrite Europe’s security order, warning UK and European policymakers of escalating instability ahead.
🔗 lnkd.in/eSyyDkHP
The book is "open access" - free to read and download for everyone.
academic.oup.com/book/60532?l...
Dr Vassilis Karokis-Mavrikos reflects on the WHO leadership course, calling for empowered local authorities, better systems to track community needs, and continuous workforce development.
Vassilis calls for people-centred systems, cross-sector action, and timely change.
🔗 lnkd.in/esJGVpbu
💡A Sunday read that stays with you: Professor Amelia Hadfield lays out how nuclear testing risks, collapsing arms-control architecture, and coordinated state interference are reshaping a new and far more unpredictable cold war era.
🔗 lnkd.in/e355HuVh
With the government’s announcement of an independent investigation into rising youth inactivity, Professor Amelia Hadfield & Megan Ward argue that there has never been a more urgent moment to prioritise skills development and opportunities for young people in Surrey.
🔗 Read Part 3: lnkd.in/egaNW_Yr
After the Devolution Announcement: Can Surrey’s New Councils Weather the Storm?
In a new blog, @ameliahadfield1.bsky.social and Megan Ward outline practical steps the new councils can take to strengthen flood preparedness and embed climate action into future governance.
🔗 lnkd.in/eP3KVHJi
Join me, @stijntvankessel.bsky.social & Isabelle Hertner next week as we present "Populist Radical Right Parties in Action" (Oxford University Press), available Open Access here:
academic.oup.com/book/60532
If you or your library prefer a printed copy, you can find a discounted code below.
Great to see our member and former Co-Director, Professor @dralbertazziuk.bsky.social, present his latest book in London next week! Don't miss him if you are in the area, and note the discount code for printed copies below.
Otherwise, the book can be read online or downloaded for free.
The Department of Politics & IR at the University of Surrey invites applications for fully funded ESRC SEDarc studentships for PhD study, starting in October 2026.
They cover fees and stipend for UK & international students
Deadline: 19 January 2026
www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-fun...
📖Read our Interim VCSE Report!
CBE presented our initial findings at @surreyca.bsky.social Charity Mash-up event. It was a pleasure to meet so many fantastic attendees representing VCSE organisations.
A big thank you to Jason & his team for hosting such a brilliant event.
🔗 lnkd.in/drFV89FK
From our CBE member, @dralbertazziuk.bsky.social! Note the call for papers for the next Annual Conference of the Political Studies Association in Oxford!
@uniofsurrey.bsky.social #surreyresearch #youthopportunities #surreycommunity
Want to learn more about our collaborative work to support young people in Surrey?
Megan Ward highlights our collective work with the High Sheriff of Surrey, Peter Cluff, and local stakeholders to build a strong Community of Practice & create more opportunities for young people.
🔗 lnkd.in/eT8Rurqj
lnkd.in/eW7twezW @ameliahadfield1.bsky.social @chathamhouse.org @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social @konradadenauer.bsky.social #foreignpolicy #europeansecurity #europeandefence #britainukraine #UKEU
