Hansen
dr martin ejnar hansen is a reader in political science at brunel university of london. his research sits at the intersection of comparative politics, public policy and political behaviour, with a particular focus on parliaments, governments, political parties and public attitudes towards institutions and public services. qualifications: phd political science (aarhus) cand.scient.pol. (msc political science) (southern denmark) bsc political science (southern denmark) my research examines political institutions, political behaviour and public policy, primarily through quantitative and comparative methods. a central strand of my work focuses on parliaments, governments and political parties, including legislative behaviour, committee assignments, roll-call voting, ministerial turnover, party competition and electoral reform. this work contributes to comparative political science by analysing how institutional rules, party systems and parliamentary organisation shape representation, decision-making and political outcomes. a second strand of my research focuses on public attitudes towards institutions, public services and contested policy questions. recent projects examine trust in healthcare, policing, science, public service news, academic freedom and public administration. this work often uses survey data to understand how ideology, social identity, political trust, risk perceptions and service experiences influence citizens’ evaluations of institutions and policy choices. currently, i also explore how public attitudes towards artificial intelligence in public administration and democratic decision-making, including comparative work on the united kingdom and japan. this reflects a broader interest in how citizens respond to changes in governance, expertise and institutional authority, particularly when established public institutions face new technological, social and political pressures. across these areas, my research is united by a concern with how institutions work in practice, how citizens evaluate them, and how political and administrative systems adapt to changing public expectations. i am especially interested in projects that combine rigorous empirical analysis with questions of democratic accountability, institutional design and public trust. parliaments political parties public policy public opinion undergraduate programmes module convenor explaining politics: quantitative political science in practice (yr 2) public policy analysis (yr 3) international organisations (ma) dissertation supervisor ug ma intelligence and security studies ma international relations
![Dr Martin Hansen]()
Dr Martin Hansen
Dr Martin Ejnar Hansen is a Reader in Political Science at Brunel University of London. His research sits at the intersection of comparative politics, public policy and political behaviour, with a particular focus on parliaments, governments, political parties and public attitudes towards institutions and public services. Qualifications: PhD Political Science (Aarhus) cand.scient.pol. (MSc Political Science) (Southern Denmark) BSc Political Science (Southern Denmark) My research examines political institutions, political behaviour and public policy, primarily through quantitative and comparative methods. A central strand of my work focuses on parliaments, governments and political parties, including legislative behaviour, committee assignments, roll-call voting, ministerial turnover, party competition and electoral reform. This work contributes to comparative political science by analysing how institutional rules, party systems and parliamentary organisation shape representation, decision-making and political outcomes. A second strand of my research focuses on public attitudes towards institutions, public services and contested policy questions. Recent projects examine trust in healthcare, policing, science, public service news, academic freedom and public administration. This work often uses survey data to understand how ideology, social identity, political trust, risk perceptions and service experiences influence citizens’ evaluations of institutions and policy choices. Currently, I also explore how public attitudes towards artificial intelligence in public administration and democratic decision-making, including comparative work on the United Kingdom and Japan. This reflects a broader interest in how citizens respond to changes in governance, expertise and institutional authority, particularly when established public institutions face new technological, social and political pressures. Across these areas, my research is united by a concern with how institutions work in practice, how citizens evaluate them, and how political and administrative systems adapt to changing public expectations. I am especially interested in projects that combine rigorous empirical analysis with questions of democratic accountability, institutional design and public trust. Parliaments Political parties Public policy Public opinion Undergraduate Programmes Module convenor Explaining Politics: Quantitative Political Science in Practice (Yr 2) Public Policy Analysis (Yr 3) International Organisations (MA) Dissertation supervisor UG MA Intelligence and Security Studies MA International Relations
Karp
jeffrey karp is a political scientist specialising in research on public opinion, elections, and political behaviour with over 20 years of experience in survey research. he received his ph.d. in political science from the university of calfornia, santa barbara in 1995. his research addresses questions about how institutions influence political attitudes and behaviour and examines such topics as electoral reform, political mobilization, gender and political leadership, popular support for direct democracy, and attitudes about european integration. he has published in nearly all of the major international journals in the discipline, including the british journal of political science, public opinion quarterly, journal of politics, comparative political studies, electoral studies, and political psychology. his work has generated more than 9,300 citations and his h-index is 41. photo by yuki atsusaka. in the late 1990s he served as a co-investigator on the new zealand election study (nzes) to gather data to examine the effects of electoral system change after new zealand replaced its first past the post (fpp) electoral system with a mixed member proportional (mmp) system in 1996. since then he has designed and carried out surveys in the netherlands, germany, the united states, and australia. he is a member of the advisory board of the british election study. he was a visiting professor at luiss university in rome in 2024-25. in 2015-16, he was a visiting fellow with the electoral integrity project, based at the university of sydney and carried out a three wave panel survey for the australian electoral commission. results from the survey have helped to inform the debate about how to modernise the electoral process and improve the voter experience in australia. recent research focuses on gender and political leadership and ways to improve the democratic process focusing on the conduct of elections and support for electoral reform. comparative political behaviour module convenor pp1609: introduction to world politics pp1602: introduction to comparative politics pp2611: explaining politics: quantitative political science in practice pp2623: comparative electoral systems office hours tuesdays 1:15-3:15 and by appointment
![Professor Jeffrey Karp]()
Professor Jeffrey Karp
Jeffrey Karp is a political scientist specialising in research on public opinion, elections, and political behaviour with over 20 years of experience in survey research. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Calfornia, Santa Barbara in 1995. His research addresses questions about how institutions influence political attitudes and behaviour and examines such topics as electoral reform, political mobilization, gender and political leadership, popular support for direct democracy, and attitudes about European integration. He has published in nearly all of the major international journals in the discipline, including the British Journal of Political Science, Public Opinion Quarterly, Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Electoral Studies, and Political Psychology. His work has generated more than 9,300 citations and his H-index is 41. Photo by Yuki Atsusaka. In the late 1990s he served as a co-investigator on the New Zealand Election Study (NZES) to gather data to examine the effects of electoral system change after New Zealand replaced its first past the post (FPP) electoral system with a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system in 1996. Since then he has designed and carried out surveys in the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, and Australia. He is a member of the advisory board of the British Election Study. He was a Visiting Professor at Luiss University in Rome in 2024-25. In 2015-16, he was a visiting fellow with the Electoral Integrity Project, based at the University of Sydney and carried out a three wave panel survey for the Australian Electoral Commission. Results from the survey have helped to inform the debate about how to modernise the electoral process and improve the voter experience in Australia. Recent research focuses on gender and political leadership and ways to improve the democratic process focusing on the conduct of elections and support for electoral reform. Comparative Political Behaviour Module convenor PP1609: Introduction to World Politics PP1602: Introduction to Comparative Politics PP2611: Explaining Politics: Quantitative Political Science in Practice PP2623: Comparative Electoral Systems Office Hours Tuesdays 1:15-3:15 and by appointment
Sarmiento-Mirwaldt
i completed my phd in 2007 with the support of the esrc and the university of essex. i then joined the european policies research centre at the university of strathclyde to pursue an esrc-funded post-doctoral and research fellowship. having worked as a research officer at the london school of economics for two years, i joined the department in august 2012. my research lies at the intersection of political geography and political science. i am particularly interested in the spatial and regional dimensions of contemporary european politics, especially in border regions, cross-border relations, cross-border cooperation, and regional development. much of my recent work examines how borders shape political attitudes, governance and everyday interaction, and how european integration is experienced in places located at or near national frontiers. i also work on political narratives about europe, including euroscepticism, and on the ways in which political actors and citizens make sense of european institutions and practices. my research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches and has a particular regional focus on german, polish and french politics. my research has been funded by the european commission, the esrc, the british academy, the polish-german science foundation and the german academic exchange service (daad). comparative european politics (especially polish, german and french politics) borders, border regions and the territorial politics of europe cross-border cooperation and governance regional variation in euroscepticism and political narratives about europe undergraduate programmes module convenor european union politics: problems and prospects (yr 3) module contributor advanced research skills for social and political sciences (yr 3) politics dissertation (yr 3)
![Dr Katja Sarmiento-Mirwaldt]()
Dr Katja Sarmiento-Mirwaldt
I completed my PhD in 2007 with the support of the ESRC and the University of Essex. I then joined the European Policies Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde to pursue an ESRC-funded post-doctoral and research fellowship. Having worked as a Research Officer at the London School of Economics for two years, I joined the department in August 2012. My research lies at the intersection of political geography and political science. I am particularly interested in the spatial and regional dimensions of contemporary European politics, especially in border regions, cross-border relations, cross-border cooperation, and regional development. Much of my recent work examines how borders shape political attitudes, governance and everyday interaction, and how European integration is experienced in places located at or near national frontiers. I also work on political narratives about Europe, including Euroscepticism, and on the ways in which political actors and citizens make sense of European institutions and practices. My research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches and has a particular regional focus on German, Polish and French politics. My research has been funded by the European Commission, the ESRC, the British Academy, the Polish-German Science Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Comparative European politics (especially Polish, German and French politics) Borders, border regions and the territorial politics of Europe Cross-border cooperation and governance Regional variation in Euroscepticism and political narratives about Europe Undergraduate Programmes Module convenor European Union Politics: Problems and Prospects (Yr 3) Module contributor Advanced Research Skills for Social and Political Sciences (Yr 3) Politics dissertation (Yr 3)
Savani
my research uses mixed method experiments to answer questions about health and political behaviours. i am interested in behavioural biases and 'nudges' that might bring about better outcomes for people. prior to my phd, i was an economist at the uk government's department for international development over 2003-2012. i held roles covering a range of countries (afghanistan, burundi, malawi and somalia) and policy issues (pro-poor growth, hiv and aids, conflict and development, and value for money in aid spending). more recently, i was a global impact evaluation adviser for oxfam gb, managing evaluations for the gendered enterprise and markets project in zambia and bangladesh using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in the field. read about my work on: covid-19 vaccination choices and attitudes across the g7, funded by the british academy commitment devices, and why nudges might fail commitment devices and health behaviour change whether people prefer to be 'nudged' or 'shoved' in a pandemic why you should pre-register your research, and how easy it is to do behavioural public policy i am interested in investigating how behavioural economics can support positive policy outcomes. my work has explored nudges for health behaviour change on obesity (read about my field experiments here and here). i am currently investigating how nudges might affect vaccination decisions, funded by a british academy grant on covid-19 recovery. our report is published here. i reviewed what we know about the public's preferences for nudges compared to harder policy instruments. does the covid-19 pandemic prompt a rethink of the conventional wisdom that people prefer softer, freedom-preserving policy measures over harder, restrictive measures? read about our findings here. my phd thesis applied thaler and shefrin’s (1981) planner-doer dual-self model to health behaviours. i designed and implemented two mixed methods field experiments that evaluated the impact of commitment devices on health behavior around obesity, working in partnership with camden council and the private sector. the research tested new ways to measure concepts such as sophistication and myopia, critically assessed the planner-doer model using quantitative and qualitative data, and raised new policy recommendations for how commitment strategies can be designed into public health programmes. my thesis was awarded the 'best dissertation' prize by ucl dept of political science. experiments in political science i use survey experiments to better understand voters attitudes. i am investigating how voters evaluate candidates accused of sexual harassment (with dr sofia collignon at royal holloway university). our study of us voters offers important insights into the role of personal values in voters' decisions (pre-registered here). i am also looking at what factors make british voters more or less likely to consider i-voting, remote online voting, in elections (with prof justin fisher, pre-registered here). welfare policy i am interested in how behavioural public policy might apply to welfare reforms, with a focus on financial capability and decision making. i am interested in how the design of the flagship welfare programme universal credit interacts with the realities of budgeting and financial decisions in low-income contexts. behavioural public policy field and survey experiments, and mixed methods rcts welfare policy and politics i teach public policy (undergraduate) and international development (postgraduate) modules, and provide dissertation supervision.
![Dr Manu Savani]()
Dr Manu Savani
My research uses mixed method experiments to answer questions about health and political behaviours. I am interested in behavioural biases and 'nudges' that might bring about better outcomes for people. Prior to my PhD, I was an economist at the UK Government's Department for International Development over 2003-2012. I held roles covering a range of countries (Afghanistan, Burundi, Malawi and Somalia) and policy issues (pro-poor growth, HIV and AIDS, conflict and development, and value for money in aid spending). More recently, I was a Global Impact Evaluation Adviser for Oxfam GB, managing evaluations for the Gendered Enterprise and Markets project in Zambia and Bangladesh using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in the field. Read about my work on: Covid-19 vaccination choices and attitudes across the G7, funded by the British Academy Commitment devices, and why nudges might fail Commitment devices and health behaviour change Whether people prefer to be 'nudged' or 'shoved' in a pandemic Why you should pre-register your research, and how easy it is to do Behavioural public policy I am interested in investigating how behavioural economics can support positive policy outcomes. My work has explored nudges for health behaviour change on obesity (read about my field experiments here and here). I am currently investigating how nudges might affect vaccination decisions, funded by a British Academy Grant on Covid-19 recovery. Our report is published here. I reviewed what we know about the public's preferences for nudges compared to harder policy instruments. Does the Covid-19 pandemic prompt a rethink of the conventional wisdom that people prefer softer, freedom-preserving policy measures over harder, restrictive measures? Read about our findings here. My PhD thesis applied Thaler and Shefrin’s (1981) Planner-Doer dual-self model to health behaviours. I designed and implemented two mixed methods field experiments that evaluated the impact of commitment devices on health behavior around obesity, working in partnership with Camden Council and the private sector. The research tested new ways to measure concepts such as sophistication and myopia, critically assessed the planner-doer model using quantitative and qualitative data, and raised new policy recommendations for how commitment strategies can be designed into public health programmes. My thesis was awarded the 'Best Dissertation' prize by UCL Dept of Political Science. Experiments in political science I use survey experiments to better understand voters attitudes. I am investigating how voters evaluate candidates accused of sexual harassment (with Dr Sofia Collignon at Royal Holloway University). Our study of US voters offers important insights into the role of personal values in voters' decisions (pre-registered here). I am also looking at what factors make British voters more or less likely to consider i-voting, remote online voting, in elections (with Prof Justin Fisher, pre-registered here). Welfare policy I am interested in how behavioural public policy might apply to welfare reforms, with a focus on financial capability and decision making. I am interested in how the design of the flagship welfare programme Universal Credit interacts with the realities of budgeting and financial decisions in low-income contexts. Behavioural public policy Field and survey experiments, and mixed methods RCTs Welfare policy and politics I teach Public Policy (undergraduate) and International Development (postgraduate) modules, and provide dissertation supervision.