School of Politics and International Relations

Research Projects

Our research is international in scope and covers many important aspects of our political and social world in the UK and abroad.

This is a selection of ongoing projects that reflect the research done in the school:

 Stack of arid rocks

Security, democratisation, and elite politics in the Sahel

Funder: Economic and Social Resource Council (ESRC)
Principal Investigator: Dr Eloïse Bertrand
Duration: February 2023-April 2026

Dr Bertrand's project is implemented in collaboration with the Institut Général Marc Tiémoko Garango pour la Gouvernance et le Développement (IGD) in Burkina Faso, the Department of Peace, Security, and Humanitarian Studies at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in the UK.

The project's findings will contribute to the evidence base informing civil society groups' and international partners' engagement in the region. 

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Pathways Through Liberation - Revealing Survivors' Support Journeys Outside of the UK National Referral Mechanism

Funder: Economic and Social Resource Council (ESRC)
PI: Dr Andrea Nicholson
Duration: Ends August 2024

In collaboration with 10 NGOs, and partnering with St Mary’s University Twickenham and the Office of the Independent Antislavery Commissioner, this ESRC funded project addresses the above knowledge gap. Undertaking a comparative study of survivors’ experiences across the UK, the research team are working with adult survivors to record and share their experiences of recovery and of their encounters with state and third sector services to better inform antislavery policy and the process of NRM transformation.

 

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Deterrence in the era of unconventional intervention

Funder: Research England - Research Policy Support Fund
Principal Investigator: Professor Andrew Mumford
Duration: August 2023 – June 2024

This research project aims to enhance understanding of how the rise of unconventional intervention has changed the nature of contemporary deterrence policy. ‘Unconventional intervention’ refers to how states leverage non-traditional means, including disinformation and sponsorship of proxies, to generate the ambiguous use of force. This project aims to deliver both conceptual innovation and policy impact by working with the main branch of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) responsible for forging advances in thinking about deterrence – the ‘Exploration Division’ of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). 

 gold and silver metal cogs

Assessing the Drivers and Consequences of 'Multi-Level' States' Responses to the Covid-19 Pandemic in the G7

Funder: The British Academy 
PI: Dr Simon Toubeau
Duration: July 2023 - December 2024

As part of the British Academy's programme on 'Pandemic Preparedness: Lessons to Learn from Covid-19 across the G7', this project will assess why 'multi-level' states responded to the pressures of the time so differently, and consider how they can be helped to better coordinate their responses to future pandemics. 

 

Taiwan Research Hub

Taiwan Research Hub

The Taiwan Research Hub brings together researchers from different disciplines and career stages to improve our understanding of Taiwan. We look at the fields of politics, history, culture, society, international relations, and economy.


 

 

 

School of Politics and International Relations

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