Research

The three main strands of my current research, pretty broadly defined, are populism, political parties, and Australian politics. Some of the topics I look at criss-cross all three (youth wings being a prime example), while others are specific to just one. I used to think populism was the core of my research, but increasingly I realise that parties are the central pillar. And probably always have been.

Fundamentally, I’m interested in how political parties (whether populist or mainstream) function internally and externally. Over my career, this has led me to examine questions ranging from the charismatic relationship between populist leaders and their parties to how populist parties cooperate internationally, and from how Indigenous people become candidates in Australian parties to who the young people are that join mainstream party youth wings. While these may seem a disparate bunch of research questions, they are all linked by the same desire to look inside parties and catch a glimpse of how they work.

This is important because ultimately, whether you like them or not, parties are essential to democracy. We need to understand them far more than we currently do. And, maybe, if some of them worked better, democracy would work better too.

Click on the icons below to read more about my research and publications