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July 2018 newsletter

The July 2018 newsletter from the Political Studies Association Specialist Group on Parliaments

Welcome to the July edition of our newsletter, including:

  1. Reminder: Our Conference – 07 Sept deadline
  2. Qualitative Methods Workshop – thank you
  3. Note from Victoria University
  4. Job alert: University Teacher at Sheffield University
  5. Recently on our blog

If you have any notices / messages you would like us to circulate to the group, please let us know (including events, new research projects, grants, publications, etc.). Or other ideas for the group and feedback for us, they’re welcome too!

This is our last newsletter of the summer – we will be back in September!

Best wishes,
Marc (@marcgeddes), Louise (@LouiseVThompson) Alex (@A_Meakin) and Seán (@S_Haughey)


1. Reminder: Our Conference – 07 SEPTEMBER deadline

Just a quick reminder about our conference, which will take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

As last year, our call for submissions is a 150-word abstract, which would then be turned into a 1,000-1,500-word blog post. To submit your abstract – please click here. We welcome researchers, academics and practitioners from all disciplines and at all levels, and of course promote methodological pluralism.

You can find all the information about our conference on our website – here.

The most important and immediate deadline: abstracts must be sent to us by Friday, 07 September. We will try to remind you closer to the time, but as term has not started for many of us, please put this in your diaries now.

Any questions, please get in touch with Marc: marc.geddes@ed.ac.uk


2. Qualitative Methods Workshop – thank you

Thanks to everyone who came along to our Qualitative Methods training workshop: we hope you found it an interesting and helpful day. Thank you also to our co-organisers, the PSA Early Careers Network and Interpretive Political Science specialist group, and to University of Sheffield Politics Department for hosting the day.

The workshop included presentations on elite interviewing from Professor Andrew Hindmoor; observation from Dr Marc Geddes, and focus groups from Dr Kate Dommett. Attendees also shared tips and advice from their own research projects and considered how to use qualitative methods in future work.

If you would like to organise a future methods workshop, get in touch on psa.parliaments@gmail.com

Qual Methods Kate Dommett
Dr Kate Dommett presenting at our Qualitative Methods workshop

3. Note from Victoria University

Anna Barry from Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, has been in touch to ask for support on her current project. Below is a summary of the project – if you had any tips or suggestions or knew of specific literature on this topic, then please get in touch with Anna. Her email address: anna.joy4@gmail.com.

Victoria University of Wellington, in collaboration with the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, is undertaking a research project called ‘Parliamentary Scrutiny of the Quality of Long-term Governance and Stewardship’. The principal output will be in the form of a report for the Standing Orders Committee to help inform its review of Standing Orders. The research includes a review of any international literature on this topic, as well as current practices in a selection of countries including the UK, Canada, the Scandinavian countries, and Australia. Scrutiny in this case is focusing on reports to the House and plenary debates on these (mandated or otherwise), select committee scrutiny (including reports, inquiries and other items of business) and the role of institutions equivalent to New Zealand Officers of Parliament.


4. Job Alert: University Teacher at Sheffield University

The Department of Politics at the University of Sheffield are looking for a University Teacher in British Politics and Public Policy, to start on 01 September 2018.

The deadline for applications is 12 July.

The position is recommended for anyone who has expertise in British politics, parliamentary studies, public policy and governance.

Find out more by clicking here.


5. Recently on the blog