School of Social and Political Science

Foreign Policy Research Group

The Foreign Policy Research Group is a student-led research network situated in the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. It consists of both junior and senior scholars whose research focuses on the many factors that affect the making of foreign policy. Both research students and staff from the University of Edinburgh as well as other institutions are welcome to join the research group.

Research themes
  • Foreign policy decision-making
  • Political psychology
  • Leader personality and beliefs
  • Foreign policy roles
  • Parliamentary influence on foreign policies
  • Bureaucratic influence on foreign policies
  • Coalition politics
  • Comparative foreign policy analysis
  • State-society relationship in foreign policymaking
  • The role of emotions
Research group convenors
Research group activities

We hold monthly meetings throughout the semester. In each meeting of the research group, the presenter introduces their research paper, followed by feedback from a discussant. Afterwards, the discussion is opened to the other attendees who can provide further comments or ask questions to the author of the paper.

Because participants join our meetings from various locations in the UK and the world, we usually meet on Microsoft Teams.

In addition, we organise an annual conference on the latest developments in foreign policy analysis with speakers from the UK and the world.

Please get in touch with one of the co-conveners if you are interested in learning more about the research group or becoming a member.

Research group members (in alphabetical order)
  • Ryan Beasley
  • Alexander Bendix
  • Stephan Fouquet
  • Ruolan Gan
  • Victor Gigleux
  • Omar Loera Gonzalez
  • Jennifer Hodge
  • Juliet Kaarbo
  • Abdullah Kesvelioglu
  • Hsinyen Lai
  • Wei Luo
  • Benjamin Martill
  • Sissela Matzner
  • Ameneh Mehvar
  • Alexander Mesarovich
  • Greg Notman
  • Lauren Rogers
  • Alexander Schotthoefer
  • Saskia Smellie
  • Damian Strycharz
  • Yifang Sun
  • Consuelo Thiers
  • Yusuf Topaloglu
  • Oliver Turner
  • Kim Vender
  • Shihui Yin