Political Science

Led by Professor Paul Kenny, the program contributes broadly to scholarship in political science, with a nationally unique focus on the subfields of comparative politics and political economy. Within these broad subfields, our scholars have written award-winning research on an array of topics including comparative politics; political economy, identity politics, populism, the environment, corruption, religion and sectarianism, social trust, and democratic institutions.

We have a multi-disciplinary approach to research, but particularly seek to advance the use of study designs and research methods that illuminate cause and effect relationships. To this end, our researchers use a variety of approaches to data collection and analysis including laboratory and natural experimental research designs, representative surveys, archival research, elite interviews, and political ethnography. The program has expertise across multiple regions including South and Southeast Asia, the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, and Australia. Research by the Centre’s scholars has been published with leading presses including Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and Stanford University Press, as well as in top-ranked journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Politics, and the British Journal of Political Science.

Our research team

Director

Professor Paul Kenny

Researchers

Dr Kathryn Baragwanath

Dr Kyle Peyton

Affiliate researchers

Dr Naser Ghobadzadeh

Associate Professor Ben Moffitt