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A regular voice on regulating party finance

When politicians, regulators and governments face decisions about the building blocks of political and public life they often turn to Professor Justin Fisher, Head of Politics, History and Law at Brunel University London.

A leading thinker in political science, Prof Fisher has advised top institutions in Britain and across Europe on matters of regulating party finance and lobbying.

Prof Fisher was an advisor to the Select Committee on Standards in Public Life in 2011 as it reviewed party finance. His finding that public opinion may not be a good guide to sustainable reform helped the Committee take a controversial decision to extend state funding of political parties.

His findings on the damaging effect of over-regulation in party finance informed the Public Administration Select Committee's views on lobbying reforms.

The Scottish Affairs Select Committee called Prof Fisher to speak on campaign finance issues during the build up to the Scottish referendum. With the eyes of the world watching the British democratic system, it was essential to get it right.

There is a clear and strong link between Prof Fisher’s research and real-world decisions. The Council of Europe used findings on the benefits and drawbacks of different regulatory choices to shape policy recommendations on party finance in Poland, the Czech Republic and Georgia.