Publications

Books

(in preparation), Comparative Electoral Management: Performance, Networks and Instruments (Routledge: London and New York).
(eds) (2015) British Labour Leaders, Biteback: London, with Charles Clarke.
(eds) (2015) British Conservative Leaders, Biteback: London, with Charles Clarke, Tim Bale and Patrick Diamond.
(2012) Elite Statecraft and Election Administration: Bending the Rules of the Game, Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke and New York. Download sample Chapter.

Edited Journal Special Editions

(2015) ‘Assessing Political Leadership in Context – British Party Leadership during Austerity’, Parliamentary Affairs, 68(1), p. 1-3 with Jim Buller (download pdf).

Journal Articles

(2018) ‘Political Leadership as Statecraft? Aligning Theory with Praxis in Conversation with British Party Leaders’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations, first online 20 June 2018.
(2018) ‘The Higher Education Impact Agenda, Scientific Realism and Policy Change: the Case of Electoral Integrity in Britain’, British Politics, first online 20 March 2018, https://doi.org/10.1057/s41293-018-0085-9 (pre-print pdf).
(2017) ‘Improving Electoral Management: The Organisational Determinants of Electoral Integrity’, Electoral Expert Review, issue 15, p.18-25, with Leontine Loeber, Holly Ann Garnett and Carolien van Ham.
(2017) ‘The cost of elections: The effects of public sector austerity on electoral integrity and voter engagement,’ Public Money and Management, volume 37(7) (pdf).
(2017) ‘The Effects of Centralising Electoral Management Board Design,’ Policy Studies, 38(2), pp.130-148, (pdf).
(2016) ‘Neo-Statecraft Theory, Historical Institutionalism and Institutional Change’, Government and Opposition, 51(1) 84-110.
(2015) ‘Integrating Structural Context into the Assessment of Political Leadership: Realism, Gordon Brown and the Great Financial Crisis‘, Parliamentary Affairs, 68(1), 77-96, with Jim Buller (download pdf).
British Labour Leaders, Charles Clarke and Toby James (eds)

(2014) ‘The Spill-over and Displacement Effects of Implementing Election Administration Reforms: Introducing Individual Electoral Registration in Britain’, Parliamentary Affairs, 67 (2): 281-305.
(2013) ‘Fixing U.K. Failures of Electoral Management’, Electoral Studies, 32(4), December 2013, p. 597–608
(2012) ‘Statecraft and the Assessment of National Political Leaders: the Case of New Labour and Tony Blair ‘, British Journal of Politics and International Relations (with Jim Buller), 14(4), 534-555.
(2011) ‘Only in America? Executive partisan interest and the politics of election administration in Ireland, the UK and the USA’ , Contemporary Politics, 17(3), p.219-240.
(2011) ‘Fewer “costs”, more votes? U.K. Innovations in Electoral Administration 2000-2007 and their effect on voter turnout‘, Election Law Journal, 10(1), p.37-52.
(2010) ‘Electoral Administration and Voter Turnout: Towards an International Public Policy Continuum ‘, Representation, 46(4), p.369-89 (table 1, table 2).
(2010) ‘Electoral modernisation or elite statecraft: Electoral administration in the UK 1997-2007’, British Politics, 5(2), p.179-201.
(2010) ‘Researching Electoral Administration in America: Insights from the post-Florida era‘, Political Studies Review, 8(3).
(2009) ‘What ever happened to Régulation Theory? The Régulation Approach and local government revisited’, Policy Studies, 30(2), p181-201.

Book Chapters

(2017) ‘How strong is the democratic integrity of the UK elections? And are turnout, candidacies and participation being maximized?‘ in Patrick Dunleavy (eds) The Democratic Audit of 2017. London: London School of Economics.
(2017) ‘Poll Workers’ in Pippa Norris and Alesandro Nai (eds), Watchdog Elections: Transparency, Accountability, Compliance and Integrity. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.
(2015) ‘Using Performance Benchmark Standards to improve Electoral Management‘, in ACE Case Studies, Stockholm: International Idea.
(2015) ‘Introduction: the British Labour Party in Search of the Complete Leader’, in Charles Clarke and Toby S. James (eds) British Labour Leaders, Biteback: London.
British Conservative Leaders, Charles Clarke, Toby S. James, Tim Bale and Patrick Diamond (eds)

(2015) ‘Statecraft: a framework for assessing Labour leaders’, in Charles Clarke and Toby S. James (eds) British Labour Leaders, Biteback: London, with Jim Buller.
(2015) ‘Statecraft: a framework for assessing Conservative Party leaders’, in Charles Clarke, Toby S.James, Tim Bale and Patrick Diamond (eds), British Conservative Leaders, Biteback: London, with Jim Buller.
(2015) ‘Towards Power: a framework for assessing Liberal leaders?’, in Duncan Brack et al. (eds) British Liberal Leaders, London, Biteback, with Jim Buller.
(2014) ‘United Kingdom: Electoral Governance in Transition?‘ in International IDEA (eds) Electoral Management Design Handbook, Stockholm: International IDEA, Revised Edition.
(2014) ‘Electoral Management in Britain‘ in Pippa Norris, Richard Frank and Ferran Matinez I Coma (eds) Advancing Electoral Integrity (New York: Oxford University Press).
(2013) ‘Benchmarking Standards of UK Elections‘ in Clive Grace (eds) Benchmarking for improvement (London: Solace Foundation Imprint).

Academic Conference Papers

(2018) ‘Comparative Electoral Management’, paper presented at the Institute for Governance and Policy, Canberra University, Australia, 3rd May 2018.
(2018) ‘Comparative Electoral Management’, paper presented to the Electoral Integrity Seminar Series, Sydney University, Australia, 15th May 2018.
(2018) ‘Evaluating Electoral Management Performance: The PROSeS Framework’, paper presented to the workshop on “The ballot is stronger than the bullet?: Democracy in difficult contexts”, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 6th April 2018.
(2017) ‘Building Better Elections: The Role of Human Resource Management Practices’, Paper presented at Building Better Elections Workshop, organised by the Electoral Management Research Network at the ECPR Conference, Oslo, September 2017.
(2017) ‘How Political Leaders Assess Political Leaders: Testing Neo-Statecraft Leadership Theory in Conversation with British Party Leaders’, paper for the 2nd International Conference of the Public and Political Leadership Network, 6-7 April 2017, at the Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
(2017) ‘Fair and Free? Electoral Administration in the 2016 EU Brexit Referendum,’ Paper prepared for the Midwest Political Science Association Conference, Chicago, and the UK Political Studies Association Conference, Glasgow, April 2017, with Alistair Clark.
(2016) ‘Scientific realism, academic research and policy change: The case of electoral registration reform in Britain‘, Warwick Impact Conference, University of Warwick, November 2016.
(2016) ‘Why volunteer? The motivations of polling station workers on election day’ Paper for the Political Studies Association Conference, March 2016, with Alistair Clark.
(2015) ‘Assessing the independence of electoral management boards: A policy network approach’, Paper for the American Political Science Conference, San Francisco, August/September 2015. Also presented at a Irish Research Council Workshop, Cork, October 2015.
(2015) ‘The Unsung Heroes of Electoral Democracy: Poll Workers and Electoral Integrity in Britain‘, Paper for the Pre-APSA Workshop on Electoral Integrity, San Francisco, September 2015, with Alistair Clark.
(2014) ‘Electoral Governance and the Quality of Democracy in the United Kingdom‘, Paper for the International Symposium on Elections, Civic Education and the Quality of Democracy, the Korean Civic Institute for Democracy, Seoul, South Korea, September 3-4 2014.
(2014) ‘Centralising Electoral Management and Electoral Integrity: Lessons from Britain‘, Paper for the 64th Political Studies Association Annual International Conference, 14 – 16 April 2014, The Midland Hotel, Manchester.
(2014) ‘Assessing Prime Ministerial Performance: Structural Contexts, Statecraft and the Case of Gordon Brown‘, PSA Political Leadership Annual Workshop, University of East Anglia, 17th January 2014 (with Jim Buller).
(2013) ‘Centralising Electoral Management – Lessons from the UK’, Pre-APSA Workshop on Electoral Integrity, Chicago, 28th August 2013.
(2013) ‘Organisational Performance in Electoral Management’ , Paper presented at the Electoral Integrity Project annual workshop on ‘Concepts and Indicators of Electoral Integrity’, Weatherhead Center, Harvard University, 3-4th June 2013.
(2013) ‘Institutional Change as Statecraft? Statecraft Theory, Historical Institutionalism and Change’, Paper for the 63rd Political Studies Association Annual International Conference, 25 – 27 March 2013, City Hall Cardiff
(2013) ‘Implementing Elections in New Times: Explaining the Rise of Electoral Maladministration in Established Democracies’, Paper for the 63rd Political Studies Association Annual International Conference, 25 – 27 March 2013, City Hall Cardiff
(2012) ‘Structure, Agency and the Assessment of Political Leaders: The Case of Gordon Brown’s Statecraft’, Political Studies Association Political Leadership Workshop, 12th October 2012, University of Leeds.
(2012) ‘Why has Electoral Integrity Declined in Established Democracies? The Role of New Implementation Challenges and Institutional Drift in Post-Industrial, Digital-Era Election Administration’ American Political Science Conference, New Orleans, August/September 2012.
(2012) ‘The Importance of Policy Instruments for Managing Principal-Agent Relationships in the Administration of Elections: The Case of Performance Benchmarking in the UK’, Challenges of Electoral Integrity, Pre‐IPSA Workshop, Madrid, Saturday 7th July, 2012 (slides)
(2012) ‘Assessing Political Leaders in Context: Statecraft, the Natural Rate of Governability and the case of Gordon Brown’s Premiership’, Political Studies Annual Conference, Ulster, April 2012 (with Jim Buller).
(2012) ‘Reputations, Peer-Pressure and Performance: Improving election Administration through Benchmarking Standards ‘Reputations, Peer-Pressure and Performance: Improving election Administration through Benchmarking Standards in an Age of Networked Governance’, Political Studies Annual Conference, Ulster, April 2012 (download slides).
(2011) ‘The Impact of Individual Electoral Registration on British and Welsh Elections’, Briefing to the Welsh Assembly, Cardiff, 28th November 2011.
(2011) ‘Institutional Change as Statecraft? A Critical Appraisal of the Contribution of Jim Bulpitt’s Statecraft Thesis to Theories of Institutional Change’, Annual Public Administration Committee (PAC) Conference, The University of Birmingham, 05 – 06 September, 2011.
(2010) ‘Fewer costs, more votes? U.K. Innovations in Electoral Administration 2000-2007 and their effect on voter turnout’, Interpreting Democratic Governance Conference, De Montfort University, September 2010.
(2009) ‘Statecraft and Institutional Change: The Case of Electoral Administration in Established Democracies’, Paper for the Political Studies Association Conference, University of Manchester, April 2009.
(2008) ‘New Interpretivism in critique? Statecraft and Electoral Administration in the UK 1997-2007’, Paper for the 58th Political Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Swansea, 1-3rd April 2008.
(2008) ‘Statecraft and the Assessment of Political Leadership in Britain’, Paper for the 58th Political Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Swansea, 1-3rd April 2008.
(2007) ‘Electoral Administration and Voter Turnout: The UK Experience 2000-7 in International Perspective’, Paper for the Conference for Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, University Bristol, September 2007.

Selected Invited Engagement Talks

(2018) ‘Electoral Registration and Voter Fraud: Putting Problems into Perspective’, Kings College London, 12th June 2018.
(2017) ‘The Cost of Elections’, Houses of Parliament, November 2017
(2017) ‘Improving Electoral Management: The organisational determinants of Electoral Integrity’, presentation to the 14th European Conference of Electoral Management Boards, St Petersburg, May 2017, with Holly Ann Garnett, Leontine Loeber and Carolien van Ham.
(2016) ‘Improving Electoral Management’, presentation to the 13th European Conference of Electoral Management Boards, Bucharest, Romania, April 2016.

Media / Expert Blog posts

(2018) ‘Voter ID: our first results suggest local election pilot was unnecessary and ineffective‘ The Conversation, 2nd August 2018, with Alistair Clark.
(2018) ‘Time to wake the youth quake’, Research Fortnight’s HE, 1st May 2018.
(2018) ‘Will Windrush citizens also lose their voting rights? Researchers will be watching to find out‘ The Conversation, April 24th 2018.
(2017) ‘Scotland eyes a youthquake with online voting: here are some tips from past pilots’. The Conversation, 21st December 2017.
(2017) ‘Just how far has Jeremy Corbyn come – and how far could he still go?,’ The Conversation, 11 June 2017.
(2017) ‘Running elections: it’s an expensive job, and cash-strapped local authorities have to do it‘ Democratic Audit, 8 June 2017.
(2017) ‘To sleep or not to sleep? Everything you need to know about #GE2017 election night,’ The Conversation, 7 June 2017.
(2017) ‘Too late for GE2017 – but now universities will have to play a role in registering students to vote’ Democratic Audit, 2 May 2017, with Lord Rennard and Josh Dell (Bite the Ballot).
(2017) ‘Why isn’t the electoral registration process fully online?’, Open Democracy, 29th March 2017, with Caroline Lucas MP.
(2017) ‘Now they’re on a roll: how to get the missing millions onto the electoral register,’ Democratic Audit, 8th March 2017, with Josh Dell and Lord Chris Rennard.
(2017) ‘Voter ID is a risky reform when 8m people are already missing from the electoral register’, Democratic Audit, 28th December.
(2016) ‘The US election won’t be rigged – but the system has to be fixed,’ The Conversation’, 5th November 2016
(2016) ‘What do Trump and Brexit have in common? Warnings of electoral fraud’ Washington Post, October 31 2016.
(2016) ‘Missing Millions’, Fabian Review, 2 August 2016.
(2016) ‘Let’s stop the last minute registration rush: It’s time for a complete and inclusive electoral register for Britain,’ Democratic Audit, 3rd June 2016, with Chris Rennard and Oliver Sidorczuk.
(2016) ‘There are effective ways of getting the ‘Missing Millions’ back on to the UK’s electoral register’, Political Studies Association Blog and Democratic Audit, 9th March 2016, with Oliver Sidorczuk
(2016) ‘Getting It Right: Voter Registration Lessons For The UK’ Huffington Post, 26th February 2016, with Oliver Sidorczuk
(2016) ‘National Voter Registration Drive: A Reminder That Millions Are Missing From the Electoral Register,’ Huffington Post, 4th February 2016, with Oliver Sidorczuk.
(2015) ‘Electoral fraud isn’t the biggest problem at British polling stations….. it’s the electoral register’, Political Studies Association Blog, 14th October 2015, with Alistair Clark.
(2015), ‘The UK’s electoral infrastructure is functional due to the efforts of many individuals, but it cannot be taken for granted,’ Democratic Audit, 29th September 2015, with Alistair Clark.
(2015) ‘Five tests for the next Labour Leader’ Huffington Post, 8th September 2015.
(2015) ‘The gaping hole in the voter registration changes,’ Guardian, 5 August 2015.
(2014) ‘(Re)evaluating Gordon Brown: It’s important to factor context into our assessment of political leaders’, The London School of Economics and Politics British Politics and Policy Blog / Political Studies Association Blog, 3 December 2014.
(2014) ”The UK faces a growing crisis with the electoral register: Why we should all support “Motor Voter” Amendments to the Wales Bill next week‘, Political Studies Association Blog, 4 November 2014
(2014) ‘Electoral management issues were the dog that didn’t bark in the Scottish night‘, Democratic Audit, 19th September 2014.
(2014) ‘Who were the most successful British political party leaders since 1900?’, Left Foot Forward, 25th May 2014.
(2014) ‘Postal voting and electoral fraud: a reply to Richard Mawrey QC’, Democratic Audit, 12 March 2014.
(2014) ‘Same-day electoral registration would increase voter engagement and improve British democracy’, Democratic Audit, 3 March 2014.
(2014) ‘Voter ID in Britain? A note of caution from academic research’, Left Foot Forward, 8 January 2014, (cited in the Daily Mail)
(2013) ‘John Bercow to consider the case for internet voting in the UK. Is it a good idea?’, Eastminster, 27 November 2013.
(2013) ‘Fixing elections: What the U.S. can learn from Britain’, Washington Post/ Monkey cage, 5 November 2013
(2013) ‘Electoral Registration Changes Hit a Set-Back: A New Way Forward’, Huffington Post, 22 July 2013
(2013) ‘Individual electoral registration still needs a lot of work, if it is not to be a car crash for British democracy’, Democratic Audit, 15th July 2013
(2013) ‘Problems remain with US Election Administration’, Arena, Winter 2012/3.
(2012) ‘Measures of Prime Ministerial performance indicate Tony Blair was a great leader but voters do not seem to be assessing him as kindly’, The London School of Economics and Politics British Politics and Policy Blog, 21st November 2012.
(2012) ‘How could the PCC elections have been better run?’ Huffington Post, 15 November 2012
(2012) ‘UK electoral law is fragmented, convoluted and causing errors in the running of elections. It needs to be consolidated’, The London School of Economics and Politics British Politics and Policy Blog, 20th September 2012.
(2012) ‘Rising to the Transition Challenge’, The Local Government Chronicle, 28th June 2012.
(2012) ‘Changes to electoral registration procedures may have significant implications for registration levels and electoral outcomes’, The London School of Economics and Politics British Politics and Policy Blog, 21 May 2012.
(2012) ‘Voter registration: Lessons from America’, Electoral Reform Society Blog, 21 May 2012.
(2012) ‘Voting for Police and Crime Commissioners could mean last minute elections on the cheap‘, The London School of Economics and Politics British Politics and Policy Blog, 4th April 2012.
(2011) ‘UK electoral registration levels are already low by international standards, but new plans to change registration may make things even worse‘, The London School of Economics and Politics British Politics and Policy Blog, 13th December 2011.
(2011) ‘Everyone Can Vote‘, 101 Ways to do Local Democracy, 13 October 2011.
(2010) ‘Tomorrow’s election is one of the most significant in years’, South Wales Evening Post, 5 May 2010.

Book Reviews

(2013) Review of Birch, S. (2011) Electoral Malpractice in Political Studies Review, 11(1), p.105-6, January 2013.
(2012) Review of Minnite, L. C. (2010). The Myth of Voter Fraud. Cornell University Press: Ithaca, New York, in Public Administration, 90(2), 551-4.
(2011) Review of Flinders, M. (2009). Democratic drift: majoritarian modification and democratic anomie in the United Kingdom Oxford: Oxford University Press, in British Politics.
(2011) Review of Krister Lundell (2009) The Origins of Electoral Systems in the Post-war Period: A Worldwide Approach (Abingdon: Routledge) in Political Studies Review 9(2), p.259.
(2009) Review of Andre Blais (ed) (2008) To Keep or to Change First Past the Post (Oxford: Oxford University Press), in Political Studies Review 7(3), September 2009, p.395-6
(2008), Review of Diamond, L. & Plattner (eds). (2006) Electoral Systems and Democracy (Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press), in Political Studies Review 5(3), September 2007, p.464.
(2008) Review of Abbott, L.F., British Democracy: Its Restoration and Extension (Manchester: Industrial Systems Research) in Political Studies Review 5(3), September 2007, p.412-3.

Policy Reports

(2017) The Cost of Elections: Funding Electoral Services in England and Wales, ClearView Research: London, with Tyrone Jervier, June 2017.
(2016) ‘An Evaluation of Electoral Administration at the EU Referendum,’ Electoral Commission, September 2016, with Alistair Clark.
(2016) ‘Getting the missing millions back on the electoral register,’ the All Party Parliamentary Group on Voter Registration, April 2016, with Bite the Ballot.
(2009) ‘Partners in Reduction – An Update’, Report for MPRC/Adfam, July 2009.
(2008) ‘Beyond 2008: Global Summary Report’ Vienna NGO Committee, July 2008.
(2007) ‘Families In Focus: Alcohol Misuse and the Family – a Review’, Adfam/Department of Health, May 2007.
(2007) ‘Substance Misuse in the Somali community in the UK: Challenges and Strategies for Family Involvement in Effective Treatment’, Adfam, February 2007.

Submissions of Evidence

(2018) ‘Response to Scottish Government’s Consultation on Electoral Reform‘ Evidence to the Scottish Government, 29th March 2018.
(2017) ‘Electoral Reform in Local Government in Wales,’ Evidence to the Welsh Government, 10 October 2017.
(2017) Citizenship and Civic Engagement Evidence to The House of Lords Select Committee on Citizenship and Civic Engagement, 8 September 2017.
(2016) ‘Lessons Learned from the EU Referendum inquiry – Written submission of evidence’, with Alistair Clark, September 2016.
(2016) ‘Evidence to the Short Inquiry on Returning Officer Fees‘, Scottish Parliament Local Government and Communities Committee, November 2016.
(2015) The Electoral Fraud Review, Evidence to Eric Pickles Review of Electoral Fraud, October 2015.
(2014) ‘Voter Engagement in the UK – second submission‘, Evidence to the The Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee, House of Commons, 27 August 2014.
(2014) ‘Voter Engagement in the U.K.‘, Oral Evidence to the The Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee, House of Commons, 3 April 2014.
(2014) ‘Voter Engagement in the U.K.‘, Evidence to the The Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee, House of Commons, 23 February 2014.
(2013) ‘What the Presidential Commission can learn from the United Kingdom about improving elections’, The Presidential Commission on Election Administration, 24 October 2013.
(2011) ‘The Impact of Individual Electoral Registration on British Elections’, Evidence to the The Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee, House of Commons, 1 September 2011.
(2010) ‘All postal-voting: a panacea for democracy?’ Welsh Local Government Commission, Summer 2010.

Letters in the Press

(2017) ‘The Electoral Register and Young People’, Guardian, 16th May 2017.
(2017) ‘Want A Better Democracy? We Need Better Democratic Processes First’ Huffington Post, 2 May 2017, with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Democratic Participation.
(2016) ‘The Silent, Growing Crisis of Voter Registration’, The Times, 8th February 2016, reprinted on the Political Studies Association Blog.
(2016) ‘Missing Millions’ The Telegraph, 9th June 2016 (with many senior parliamentarians and civil society groups)
(2015) ‘The Gaping hole in the voter register changes’, Guardian, 5th August 2015.

Select Broadcast Media

(2016) ‘Voter Registration at the EU Referendum’, BBC 10 O’Clock News, June 2016.
(2015) ‘Automatic Voter Registration is needed’, Radio 4 Today, 14th October 2015.
(2015) ‘Automatic Voter Registration is needed’, Radio Norfolk with Nicky Price, 14th October 2015.

Publications

Share this:

Like this: