This Department of Social & Policy Sciences research theme's ambition is to shed light on the institutions in power and critically examine their accountability by detailing the impacts of social structures and power dynamics on different communities.
Our researchers covering this theme are divided into four broad areas.
Agrarian dynamics and rural transitions
We examine social and class struggles, rural inequalities, land dispossession, and the impacts on food production and rural communities.
Researchers
- Dr Noaman Ali
- Dr Aidan Barlow
- Dr Michael Bloomfield
- Dr Mihika Chatterjee
- Professor James Copestake
- Professor Ana Dinerstein
- Dr Jennifer Golan
- Professor Roy Maconachie
- Dr Naomi Pendle
Extractive industries and global value chains
We investigate the political, economic, human rights and environmental impacts of the fossil fuel, mining, and metals sectors.
Researchers
- Dr Noaman Ali
- Dr Aidan Barlow
- Dr Michael Bloomfield
- Dr Mihika Chatterjee
- Professor Roy Maconachie
- Dr Ben Radley
- Dr Yixian Sun
Innovation in governance
We explore how new modes of governance are conceptualized, adopted, and contested across diverse social settings, including those arising from the emergence of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence.
Researchers
- Professor Louise Brown
- Professor Emma Carmel
- Professor Monica Greco
- Professor Yvonne Jewkes
- Professor Sarah Moore
- Dr Piotr Ozieranski
- Dr Megan Robb
- Professor Graham Room
- Professor Harry Rutter
- Dr Jordan Tchilingirian
- Dr Diana Teggi
- Dr John Troyer
- Dr Alexandra Ziemann
Social actors, institutions, and evidence in policymaking
We analyse the dynamics of policymaking at national and transnational levels, with an emphasis on the role of the state, big business, civil society and intermediary or brokering organisations, such as think tanks.