Course summary

Approximately 60 members of PIR academic staff enjoy international reputations for their research and have won numerous teaching, research and advising awards. Their scholarship covers a diverse range of research areas on Scotland, Europe, and the world, and is published in highly-rated journals and books. The department has a strong tradition of advising, informing and debating policy with key decision-makers at Scottish, UK, European and international levels, and has a notable concentration of political theorists. Research in Politics and International Relations explores the theory, practice and ethics of politics and governance. We cover a broad area of expertise, from local policy to global governance, political theory to empirical studies, constructivism to rational choice approaches. Our Politics & International Relations group has close links with cross-disciplinary and internationally recognised research centres. Major research focuses include:

• sub-state and supranational dimensions of politics and public policy

• the impact of devolution in the UK and elsewhere, and the constitution and governance of the European Union

• international politics: changing relations, the new security agenda, transatlantic relations, political economy, migration politics and global governance

• nationalism, democratic transition, civil society and institution-building

• health, welfare, environment, competition, migrations and citizenship, and equal opportunities policies

• political theory, especially war ethics, environmental ethics and theories of freedom