Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR)

Profile

My main research interests are in comparative West European politics, with particular reference top France and the Benelux states. I work mainly on political parties and party systems, with special reference to transnational party links. My recent book Beyond the Nation State (Palgrave, 2008) studies the development of transnational or ‘European’ political parties.

I am currently editing a study of Flemish political parties and will be doing further work on Benelux parties and their transnational links.

Qualifications

• MA (Oxford)
• PhD (Warwick)

Research Clusters

• Francophone

Discipline Areas

• Political Science
• Contemporary History

Research CV

Books

• Beyond the Nation State: Parties in the Era of European Integration, Palgrave, 2007. ix + 236 pp.
• Party, Society, Government: Republican Democracy in France, Berghahn, 2002, 210 pp.
• Keeping Left? The CERES and the French socialist party: a   contribution  to  the  study  of  fractionalism in political parties, Manchester University Press, 1986, 278 pp.
• Co-author with KERR, A P and WAITES, N H.  Contemporary France: Politics and Society since 1945, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979, 325 pp.

Edited books

• Co-editor with LOUGHLIN, J. Spanish Political Parties, University of Wales Press, 2006.
• Christian Democracy in Europe: A Comparative Perspective, Pinter, 1994, 222 pp. (Edited by myself; includes introduction, conclusion and substantive chapter by myself).
• Co-editor with KERR, A P, May '68 - Twenty Years on, Macmillan, 1989, 216 pp. 
• Co-editor with PORTELLI, H, Social-Democratie et Défense en Europe, Paris, Presses Universitaires de Nanterre, 1986, 345 pp.  (The introduction and the first essay in this  collection were written jointly by the editors).
• (Spanish translation, Social democracia y defensa europea, Barcelona, Editorial Ariel, 1985, 291 pp.)

Journal articles

• ‘Changing the Parti socialiste: renewal or adaptation?’, Journal of Contemporary European Studies 16 (1), 2008, pp. 83-97.
• ‘Parties and governance: extending the territory’, Regional and Federal Studies 17 (4), 2007, pp. 475-86.
• ‘Party, Personality and Institutional Constraint: the French Presidential Election of 2007’, Modern and Contemporary France 15 (4), 2007, pp. 425-41.
• ‘Keeping it in the family ? National Parties and the Transnational Experience’, European View 3, 2006, pp.. 35-44.
• ‘Die Zukunft der europäischen Christdemokratie’, Politische Vierteljahresschrift 33, 2002, Sonderheft herausg. Minkenberg u. Willems, pp. 231-55.
• ‘Christian Democracy and the Paradoxes of Europeanisation: Flexibility, Competition and Collusion’, Party Politics 8 (4) 2002, pp. 463-82.
• French Political Parties, Globalisation and Europe’, Modern and Contemporary France 9 (3) 2001 pp. 301-12.
• ‘Compromise, Party Management and Fair Shares: the Case of the French UDF’, Party Politics 5 (2), 1999, pp. 167-85.
• Coauthor with BUFFOTOT, Patrice, ‘Chronique d’une défaite annoncée: les élections législatives des 25 mai et 1er juin 1997, Modern and Contemporary France NS 6 (1), 1998, pp. 5-19.
• Co-author with BUFFOTOT, Patrice, 'Chroniqued'une victoire annoncée: l'élection présidentielle de 1995', Modern and Contemporary France NS 4 (1), 1996, pp. 15-30.

Chapters

• Co-author with COLE, A. ‘French Politics in the 21st Century’ in COLE, A. and RAYMOND, G. (eds.) Redefining the French Republic, Manchester University Press, 2006, pp. 25-43.
• ‘Les conservateurs et démocrates chrétiens :le centre-droit s’affirme’ in PERRINEAU, P. (ed.) Le Vote européen, 2004-5 : de l’élargissement au référendum français,  Presses de la  FNSP, 2005, pp.105-128.
• ‘Le Conflit du Kosovo: leçons tirées par les alliés’ in KLEIN, J., BUFFOTOT, P. and VILBOUX, N. (eds.) Vers une Politique européenne des sécurité et de défense, Editions Economica, 2003, pp. 237-53.
• ‘French Politics in the 21st century: Invention or Muddling Through?’ in MILNER, S. and PARSONS, N. (eds.) Reinventing France: State and Society in the 21st Century, Palgrave, 2003, pp.
• ‘Managing the plural left: implications for the party system’ in EVANS, J. (ed.) The French Party System, Manchester University Press, 2003, pp. 76-90.
• ‘Le Royaume-Uni et le défense européenne: une évolution à contre-coeur?’ in VILANOVA, P. and FERNANDEZ, N. (eds.) Europa: el debate sobre defesa y seguridad, Publicacions Universidad de Barcelona, 2001, pp. 45-55.
• ‘Le Parti populaire européen: au coeur du consensus décisionnel?’ in DELWIT, P., KUHLACI, E. and VAN DE WALLE, C. (eds.) Les Fédérations européennes de parti: organisation et influence, Editions de l’Université de Bruxelles, 2001, pp. 185-98.
• Royaume-Uni: vers l’Europe à contre-coeur?’ in BUFFOTOT, P. (ed.) La Défense en Europe: nouvelles réalités, nouvelles ambitions, Documentation Française, 2001, pp. 171-88.
• Coauthor with YSMAL, C. ‘Le parti populaire européen et la recomposition des droites européennes ’ in GRUNBERG, G.,  PERRINEAU, P. and YSMAL, C. (eds.) Le Vote des quinze: les elections européennes du 13 juin 1999, FNSP, 2000, pp. 203-22.
• ‘France: living with instability?’ in BROUGHTON, David and DONOVAN, Mark (eds.) Changing Party Systems in Western Europe, MacMillan, 1999, pp. 48-70.
• 'Change and continuity in the Mitterrand years' in ELGIE, Robert (ed.), Electing the French President: the 1995 Presidential Election, MacMillan, 1996, pp. 1-25.
• 'France and GATT: the real politics of trade negotiations' in CHAFER, Tony and JENKINS, Brian  (eds), France: from Cold War to New World Order, MacMillan, 1995, pp. 137-51.

Conference papers

• ‘Transnational parties and their efficacity, Koninglijke Universiteit Leuven, 2008.
• ‘The EPP and the problems of transnational action’, University of Hull, 2005.
• ‘Strong fathers and weak children? Paternity, genetic codes and transnational parties’, ESF/SSCS conference London, December 2003.
• ‘The Welsh party system: opportunities and constraints’, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Wales-Scotland Galicia conference, September 2002.
• ‘The French left and the 2002 elections’, University of Salford ESRI, May 2002.
• ‘Leçons pour les Européens: le conflit du Kosovo’, Centre de Relations Internationales et de Stratégie, Université Paris I –Sorbonne, June 2001.
• ‘Les partis de droite en Europe et en France’, CEVIPOF, Institut d’Etudes Politiques, Paris, December  2000.
• ‘Les Britanniques et la coopération dans la défense européenne’, Universidad de Barcelona, November 2000.
• ‘Le rôle du PPE dans le système décisionnel de l’Union Européenne’, Université Libre de Bruxelles, November 2000.
• ‘Europeanisation and Christian Democracy’, Keele University, September 2000.
• Chair of  panel on regional government, IPSA conference, Québec August 2000.
• ‘The Third Way and the European Left’, Christian Socialist Movement, London, November 1999.
• ‘Politique sécuritaire et dimension européenne: le cas du Royaume-Uni’, Paris I-Sorbonne, November 1998.
• ‘The Jospin government: a new departure?’, University of Salford, November 1997.
• ‘The French party system: coping with instability?’, PSA Annual Conference, Ulster, April 1997.
• 'From collaboration to conflict: the French party system and the onset of the Cold War, 1944-47', University of Bristol, October 1995.

Other 

• I write a regular guest column for the daily newspaper La Croix (190+ articles since 1986).
• I have refereed MS. for a number of publishers, including Oxford University Press, MacMillan, Hurst, Edinburgh University Press, Frank Cass  and Berghahn.
• I am a regular referee of MS. for  Modern and Contemporary France, Party Politics and Journal of Contemporary European Studies.   
• I contribute articles on an occasional basis to     the Western Mail and have appeared regularly on radio programmes for BBC Wales, Radio France Internationale Paris and Radio Canada Montréal. I have given advice for the production of a number of radio programmes.

Research Awards and Grants

• 2008 Research Fellowship, Koninglijke Vl;aamse Acadamie van België, Brussels   
• 2005 British Academy Award (transnational party networks), Research Fellowship, Sciences-Po, Paris
• 2002 Association for Contemporary Iberian Studies, Association for Study of Modern Italy, Association for Study of Modern and Contemporary France
• 1987 Canada Research Award (Canadian High Commission - to carry out fieldwork in Canada, autumn 1987).
• 1980-81 Nuffield Social Science Research Fellowship, Social Science Research Council Award, British Academy Award