School of Social and Political Science

Research interests

I completed a PhD in International Relations at the University of Edinburgh in 2012, which read European integration through the lens of classical realism. For a number of years after that my work was defined by constitutional referendums, first on Scottish independence, then on the UK's membership of the EU. My work is focused on: 

• British government (especially on devolution, cities, constitutional change, and foreign policy); 
• Public attitudes (especially in relation to governance, the constitution, and the economy); and 
• EU public policy and politics. 

I was first appointed as a lecturer in Politics & International Relations in 2012, moving to Social Policy in 2015. I have served as deputy director of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (2012-13), deputy director of the University of Edinburgh Academy of Government (2013-16), public policy adviser to the senior vice-principal/provost (2016-17), director of quality assurance for the School of Social and Political Science (2017-20), and the School's curriculum transformation lead (2024-25). 

Beyond the University, I have served as expert adviser to the Scottish Parliament's European and External Relations Committee (2013-14), as well as giving evidence to that committee on several occasions, as well as the House of Commons' Scottish Affairs Committee. I have been a DAAD Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (2019), where I worked on Brexit and EU security policy, a visiting researcher at Carleton University in Ottawa (2020), and, during my research leave in 2023, taught at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. 

Beyond these core research interests, I am interested in the relationship between film and politics/social policy, something that I explore in my honours-level course, Policy and Politics in Film. 

Teaching (2026-27) 

Research Skills for Social Policy (undergraduate pre-honours), course convener 

Policy and Politics in Film (undergraduate honours), course convener 

Politics of the Welfare State (undergraduate pre-honours), lecturer 

Evidence, Economy and Social Policy (undergraduate pre-honours), lecturer 

Publications

2026 |  Social policy attitudes in the UK: Distinguishing welfarism from statism. Social Policy & Society, 25 (2), pp. 254-74. [with J. Eichhorn and D. Clegg] 

2025 |  Public policy in the UK. In A. Convery (ed.) UK Politics. London: SAGE. pp. 295-312. 

2024 |  Public understandings of welfare and the economy: Who knows what and how does it relate to political attitudes? Social Policy & Administration, 58 (3): 344-67. [with J. Eichhorn and H. Bennett]

2023 |  (Not) Talking about a revolution: Engaging with political decision-makers about democratic innovation in Germany, France and the UK. D|PART: Think Tank for Political Participation Research Report. [with N. Eilers, F-X. Demoures and J. Eichhorn] Here.

2022 |  (ed.) The European Union: How Does it Work? 6th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [with A. Hadfield and R. Corbett]

2021 |  Who wants a referendum on EU membership? Exploring public attitudes in six member states. Journal of European Integration, 43 (3): 365-83. [with J. Eichhorn and C. Hübner]

2020 |  Legal professional privilege of advice of the Attorney General: The case of Brexit advice. Coventry Law Journal, 24 (2): 81-87. [with S. MacLennan]

2019 |  Brexit and the future of two Unions. Online teaching supplement. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [with J. Peterson and R. Corbett]

2018 |  (ed.) The European Union: How Does it Work? 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [with J. Peterson and R. Corbett]

2018 |  Devolution commissions in the shadow of Whitehall: The Smith Commission and the creation of a ‘powerhouse Parliament’. British Politics, 13 (4): 484-504. [with R. Parry]

2017 |  Elites, Publics and Constitutional Change in the UK: A Missed Opportunity? Basingstoke: Palgrave. [with J. Eichhorn, R. Parry, L. Paterson and A. Remond]

2017 |  Releasing the Lockerbie bomber: National interests, intergovernmental relations, and para-diplomacy. Scottish Affairs, 26 (4): 411-34. 

2017 |  Precedents, parliaments, and foreign policy: Historical analogy and the House of Commons’ vote on Syria. West European Politics, 40 (1): 62-79. [with J. Kaarbo]

2016 |  A tale of one city? The ‘Devo Manc’ deal and its implications for English devolution. The Political Quarterly, 87 (4): 572-81.

2016 |  ‘No, Prime Minister’: Understanding the House of Commons’ vote on intervention in Syria. European Security, 25 (1): 28-48. [with J. Kaarbo]

2016 |  The constitution and the economy under the SNP. Scottish Affairs, 25 (1): 8-27.

2016 |  (ed.) The SNP in Power, 2007-2016. Special issue of Scottish Affairs, 25 (1). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 

2016 |  Perspectives on small state security in the Scottish independence debate. In A. Neal (ed.), Security in a Small Nation. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers. (pp. 21-48). [with J. Kaarbo]

2015 |  (ed.) The European Union: How Does it Work? 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [with J. Peterson and R. Corbett]

2014 |  Sincere cooperation, respect for democracy, and EU citizenship: Sufficient to guarantee Scotland’s future in the EU? European Law Journal, 20 (5): 591-612. [with S. MacLennan]

2014 |  How do you solve a problem like Scotland? A proposal regarding EU internal enlargement. Journal of European Integration, 36 (6): 585-600. 

2013 |  Realist visions of Union: E.H. Carr and European integration. Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 41 (2): 221-46. [with K. Kostagiannis]

2012 |  The Scotland Bill: Whence and whither? Scottish Affairs, 2012, 79 (1): 1-35.

2012 |  Commercial interests and calculated compassion: The diplomacy and paradiplomacy of releasing the Lockerbie bomber. Diplomacy & Statecraft, 23 (3): 555-75.

2012 |  Concordats and international relations: Binding in honour only? Regional & Federal Studies, 22 (1): 61-85.

PhD supervision 

I welcome PhD inquiries in the broad area of British government, politics, and public policy (including foreign policy). 

• PhD in Politics
• PhD in Social Policy
• MSc (R) Politics
• MSc (R) Social Policy