Welcome to my website!

I am a social scientist whose work is draws from and seeks to contribute to political science, sociology, public administration, development studies and philosophy.

I am Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the University of East Anglia UK, Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and Distinguished Fellow at the School of Policy Studies and Institute of Intergovernmental Relations at Queens University, Canada.

I am also co-Director of the Electoral Integrity Project and Editor-in-Chief of the multi-disciplinary, social sciences journal Policy Studies.

I have held positions at the University of Sydney, the John W. Kluge Center in the Library of Congress, Washington D.C., USA, Swansea University, UK and International IDEA, Sweden.

My research focuses on:

• electoral integrity and policy-orientated solutions for improving elections
• concepts of democracy and democratic backsliding
• political leadership
• public policy and theories of policy change
• critical realism and political science

You’ll find some of my work in journals such as International Political Science Review, Democratization, Electoral Studies, Government and Opposition, Parliamentary Affairs, and the British Journal of Politics and International Relations. I am the author or co-editor of eight books including: Elite Statecraft and Election Administration (Palgrave, 2012), Comparative Electoral Management (Routledge, 2020), Building Inclusive Elections (Routledge, 2020); and The Trump Administration (Routledge, 2022). Forthcoming books include:

• Oxford Handbook of Electoral Integrity (Oxford University Press)
• What is Electoral Integrity? Election Quality in an Age of Complexity (Cambridge University Press)
• Democracy Around the World: An Introduction (Sage)
• Real Democracy: Empowerment and Equality Around the World (Manchester University Press). This develops the real democracy approach recently set out in New Political Science.
• Electoral Reform: Democratic Principles and Global Practice (Oxford University Press).
• British Conservative Leaders and British Labour Leaders (Biteback).

I have written commissioned policy reports for national and international organisations, and collaborated with organisations such as: International IDEA, IFES, the Carter Center, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, Venice Commission, Elections Canada, Electoral Commission of South Africa and the UK FCDO. I have regularly given invited evidence to many Parliamentary committees. I was previously Senior Fellow to the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Democratic Participation and been an invited speaker around the world including at Harvard University and for the UNDP.

My research has been externally funded by the British Academy, Leverhulme Trust, AHRC, ESRC, Nuffield Foundation, SSHRC, Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, UK Electoral Commission and the McDougall Trust. I have received awards in recognition of the policy impact of my work.

I am a football addict and qualified UEFA coach. When not researching, writing and teaching I am on the touchline coaching or supporting local teams in Norfolk.

Current Projects

I am currently writing on:

• Conceptualising and measuring electoral integrity as part of a book for Cambridge University Press, with Holly Ann Garnett.
• Editing the Oxford Handbook of Electoral Integrity with Holly Ann Garnett.
• Conceptualising democracy and democratic backsliding with a book project for Manchester University Press. This develops the real democracy approach recently set out in New Political Science.
• Applied research on policies to improve elections such as voter registration reform, the politics and policy of electoral data, electoral observation and international electoral assistance.
• Editing a special issue of Policy Studies on Democratic Backsliding and Public Administration.

My research is all available through this website.  I am always happy to send over copies of papers of material and keen to receive policy and media requests.

Publications