Territorial Politics

The Territorial Politics research group explores the distribution of power and power relations between territorial communities and governments within the state. Much of our research examines the dynamics of devolution in the UK within a broader comparative context.

Our team includes some of the leading members of territorial politics research in Europe, and we lead numerous research networks in the field. Professor Charlie Jeffery directed the Economic and Social Research Council's research programme on Devolution and Constitutional Change from 2000-6, which ran 35 projects at UK universities, including four at Edinburgh. Dr Nicola McEwen is co-director of the Institute of Governance and co-convenes the Political Studies Association specialist group on Territorial Politics. Dr Wilfried Swenden and Dr Eve Hepburn co-convene the European Consoritum of Political Research Standing Group on Federalism and Regionalism, the largest European network in the field of territorial politics. Swenden is also an executive member of IPSA RC28, the Research Committee on Comparative Federalism and Federation.

Edinburgh's expertise in the field of territorial politics is unparalleled in Europe. In addition to those mentioned above, staff in Politics (Ailsa Henderson, Fiona Mackay, Arjan Schakel, Elodie Fabre, Simon Toubeau, Emmanuele Massetti, Valentyna Romanova, Meryl Kenny), Sociology (Michael Rosie, Ross Bond, David McCrone), Social Policy (Richard Parry), the Law School (Caitriona Carter, Drew Scott, Stephen Tierney), the Centre for Canadian Studies (Annis May Timpson) and a lively group of research students and visiting scholars work across the field of territorial politics.

Our research projects examine the territorial dimension of parties, elections, public policy, identity politics, constitutional politics, citizenship, political culture, the regional dimension of EU integration, regionalism, nationalism and multi-level government.