Leadership, Parties and Institutions
Our research
Research into leadership, parties and institutions at the School of Politics and International Studies fosters new intellectual dynamics and collaborative processes, and draws on established strengths in British, French, European Union and South East Asian politics.
Our work on leadership includes work on individuals, concepts and perceptions. Academics within this research field have recently published biographies or analytical works on Mitterrand, Schroder, Crossman and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and produced studies of British Foreign Secretaries and Churchill's constitutional thought.
We also collaborated with survey research organisation MORI to create the first large-scale survey of academics' attitudes towards British Prime Ministers, asking them to 'rank' the Prime Ministers in order of their perceived success, a review that attracted considerable media interest.
We are linked to the Centre for British Government, a research centre with a wide-ranging seminar programme. Some of the centre’s recent speakers have included Clare Short MP on Blair and Iraq, Sir Michael Bichard on Whitehall reform, Lewis Minkin on Labour and the Unions, Peter Catterall on Harold Macmillan, and Geoffrey Foote on Enoch Powell.
The Association of Former Members of Parliament also commissioned research the group to research the experiences of British MPs leaving parliament or losing their seats. This resulted in the first large-scale survey of the views and activities of former MPs and a major report published in October 2007 that attracted significant media attention.
Study with us
Our well-regarded and flexible Masters programmes provide a high quality and challenging study experience.
Within this area of research, we provide intellectual support and research-led taught postgraduate programmes in:
International postgraduate recruitment into our school is significant; over fifty per cent of postgraduate students are students from overseas, and their presence brings differing insights, perspectives and experiences of global issues into the ethos of our school.
Centre for British Government
The Centre for British Government provides a focus for School of Politics and International Studies staff working and researching British government. For more information, please visit the Centre for British Government.
Institute for Government Seminar
On Monday 15th June 2009, Professor Theakston took part by invitation in a seminar at the Institute for Government (a London-based think tank, with very close links to Whitehall, that works on helping to make government more effective) on the subject of "Transitions". The Institute for Government is planning to publish some of its work on this subject later in the year.
In the Press
An article by Mary Ann Sieghart featured in The Times (11 June 2009): 'What's next for an ex-MP?' refers to and quotes from the report "Life after losing or leaving: the experience of former members of Parliament", written by Professor Kevin Theakston, Dr Ed Gouge and Dr Victoria Honeyman for the Association of Former Members of Parliament in October 2007.
What's next for an MP?, The Times, 11 June 2009