The majority of research in this UoA is officially classified as world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour.
The following academic unit forms the submission to UoA 21:
Politics is a distinct unit in the School and has developed strengths in three principal areas of research. Find out about staff and projects in these areas:
Informing European armaments and security technologies policy: enhancing understanding of the benefits and problems of increasing co-operation
Dr Jocelyn Mawdsley's research on European cooperation on armaments and homeland security technologies policy has informed discussions within the defence and security policy community. It has enhanced understanding of the most important requirements and conditions for successful cooperation among key defence and security policy actors, including European armaments directors, European parliamentarians and leading think tanks in several European countries.
As a result, it significantly shaped debates that led to European Union (EU) policy on the pooling of military resources.
It has also been used to inform policy-makers in several countries about the likely effects of EU armaments policy on the defence industry in Europe.
Finally, it is being used by non-governmental organisations to inform their campaigns for the introduction of export controls on homeland security technologies.
Informing education policy in Northern Ireland: the enduring effects of the first deliberative opinion poll in a divided society
This innovative research has had an enduring influence on shared education policy debates in Northern Ireland. It directly affected the understanding and attitudes of the most important education policy actors, including the Department for Education Northern Ireland and the Good Relations Forum.
It has been significant in two ways:
widely acknowledged as providing especially robust and reliable evidence of public support for greater sharing in education (eg through shared campuses for Protestant and Catholic schools)
recognised as a model of best practice for consulting the two main communities, unionist and nationalist, about reforms to education provision
Informing the electoral process and party strategy in Scottish local elections: managing the effects of introducing the single transferable vote
Dr Alistair Clark's research on party and voter behaviour in the 2012 Scottish Local Government elections influenced the understanding and behaviour of two audiences:
directly informing the Scottish Parliament's Local Government and Regeneration Committee's inquiry into the 2012 Scottish Local Government Elections, which recommended reforms to electoral law as well as other measures to enhance local democracy
making a distinct contribution to improving the understanding of the Single Transferable Vote (STV) electoral system among party agents and candidates. In particular, there is clear evidence that it informed the campaign strategy of some Scottish National Party candidates and agents