Policy & Politics – Page 17 – Policy & Politics Journal Blog

Democracy without the state

September 15, 2015September 25, 2015policypressblog1 Comment

by Tessa Coombes, guest blogger for P&P Conference 2015.

The Policy and Politics Annual Conference 2015 kicked off with a fascinating challenge to our thinking about democracy and the state. Mark Purcell, from the University of Washington, took us on a philosophical journey of discovery about the true meaning of the word democracy, concluding with the notion that the state and democracy are the antithesis of one another.

Mark offered us what he termed a minor current of thought to haunt our discussions and to stimulate new and better currents of thought throughout the conference. He premised his presentation on the idea that the state and democracy need to be seen as antithesis and that we do indeed need democracy.

The debate about power, according to Mark, is about more than we think it is and we need to think about it differently; we need to think of it as power to rather than over. That is, all people retain power to act into and change the Continue reading →

Video of the Annual Lecture now available

March 31, 2015January 22, 2026policypressblogLeave a comment

We were delighted to welcome Lord Anthony Giddens on 17th March 2015 to speak on The Politics of Climate Change. The event was fully booked some weeks beforehand and the Great Hall was packed on the night. Lord Giddens did not disappoint in presenting a clear and pressing case for the need for urgent action to address the problem of climate change.

Below is a film of the whole lecture in case you want to listen again, or if you were not able to get a ticket. We are most grateful to Lord Giddens for allowing us to use it.

Continue reading →

Latest issue of Policy & Politics now available: 43.1

February 5, 2015February 5, 2015policypressblogLeave a comment

Policy & Politics, Volume 43, issue 1, is now available in print and online. David Sweeting introduces the issue.

The latest issue of Policy & Politics showcases some of the most creative and innovative work that is going on in the field, covering a variety of topics. As ever, the contributions combine theoretical insight with empirical analysis, and offer a wide geographical spread. The issue also contains our first ‘research provocation’ piece.

The opening article, authored by co-editor Matthew Flinders and Katharine Dommett, draws on Chris Hood’s original piece in the 1980 volume of the journal to critique the coalition government’s policy on the reform of state architecture. They conclude that rather than a simple case of abolition, the approach Continue reading →

Lord Anthony Giddens to give 20th Policy & Politics Annual Lecture on the Politics of Climate Change

January 27, 2015January 30, 2015policypressblogLeave a comment

UPDATE – THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED. You can still #askgiddens a question during the lecture via our live twitter feed @policy_politics

We are delighted to welcome Lord Anthony Giddens to speak on the Politics of Climate Change at our Annual Lecture on the evening of 17^th March 2015 in the Great Hall of the Wills Building at the University of Bristol. The lecture is free of charge to attend though numbers are limited so tickets must be booked in advance at bit.ly/1y0vM2Q

Climate change is arguably one of the greatest threats to a stable future for humanity. Lord Giddens’s book The Politics of Climate Change (Bill Clinton called it ‘A landmark study in the struggle to contain climate change, Continue reading →

Democracy, Inequality and Power is the theme of our 2015 Policy & Politics conference

January 15, 2015January 22, 2026policypressblogLeave a comment

Join us at the Marriott Royal Hotel in Bristol on 15^th and 16^th September to debate the relationship between democracy, inequality and power. This year will mark the 800^th anniversary of Magna Carta providing an opportunity to reflect on the failures and successes of democratic policy and politics in the UK and around the world.

Some of the issues we’ll be discussing include:

austerity politics and the disproportionate impacts on society’s most vulnerable,
increased awareness of disparities in relation to electoral and political participation amongst a range of social groups (leading to concerns about ‘a divided democracy’),
the reshaping of the relationship between government, business and civil society,
rising ‘urbanisation’ and associated concerns about the governance of place, space and territory,
developments in information and communication technology and its impact on citizens’ engagement with politics and public services,
civic unrest linked to demands for democracy, equality and transparent government,
human rights initiatives around gender, age, race, disability and sexuality, and
a reconfiguration of the role of the mass media and social media in policy and politics.

Continue reading →

Policy & Politics 2015 – A Year to Remember

January 8, 2015January 8, 2015policypressblogLeave a comment

by Felicity Matthews, Associate Editor of Policy and Politics

Happy New Year, everyone! I don’t know about you, but I am so looking forward to having a quiet and uneventful 2015. Boring, even. Nothing on the horizon other than uninterrupted expanses of nothingness… If only! As if! This is 2015! The year of the general election! The battle to save the NHS! The battle to save party politics as we know it! This is 2015! The 800^th anniversary of the Magna Carta! The 750^th anniversary of the first English parliament! The 70^th anniversary of VE Day!

Quite clearly, 2015 is already lining up to be a year to remember. A year in which democracy is both celebrated and put to the test; a year in which party lines and battle lines are drawn; a year in which identities and alliances are simultaneously dismantled and forged anew. And quite clearly, 2015 is lining up to be a year of unprecedented Continue reading →

Looking back at 2014

December 18, 2014January 22, 2026policypressblogLeave a comment

As 2014 draws to a close we’re reflecting on a fantastic year for Policy & Politics. There have been some exceptional papers in the journal, and the special issue on Depoliticisation was a real highlight. The conference in September was a great success, and David Blunkett MP delivered an excellent annual lecture. We hope you’ve enjoyed this year as much as we have, and we look forward to more good times for Policy & Politics in 2015.

Blame too much sherry or end-of-year-giddiness, but we’ve written something to amuse you and close the year:

(to the tune of the 12 days of Christmas…)

In the year of 2014, my colleagues sent to me:
Best paper prizes
Scottish referendum
David Blunkett’s lecture
Open Access papers
Peter Taylor-Gooby
Super special issue
Videos of conference
Impact Factor Joy!
4 plenaries
Guest bloggers
2 Great Editors
and a copy of P&P!

Season’s Greetings to you all, see you in 2015!

Policy & Politics inspiring conference film 2014

October 14, 2014policypressblog1 Comment

The journal Policy & Politics, owned by the University of Bristol, is enjoying an incredibly positive and vibrant period as a leading international journal. Not only did its Impact Factor score jump by 72% this year (to 1.302) but it is also ranked in the top quartile in a number of disciplinary areas. It has a proven track record in spanning academic and practitioner debates and its website and this blog reach a variety of audiences across all parts of the world.

The journal hosts an annual conference which was held in Bristol on 16th-17th September. It was our biggest conference yet with over 200 delegates from 33 countries and with plenaries from four of the best scholars on governance in the world.