UoA 19 Politics and International Studies
Our research engages with the fabric of national and international policy and practice with core strengths in politics, devolution, the history of political thought and international relations. Our expertise ranges from embedding deep seabed mining into Africa's Blue Economy policy, to devolved national political issues, such as reshaping the Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament)'s franchise, size and electoral system.
We achieved the highest possible score of 4.0 for our research impact. A key feature of this unit is that 100% of our research environment is conducive to producing research that is world-leading or internationally excellent. Over 80% of our submission is considered world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality and significance.
We foster an inclusive, diverse and collaborative research community. Reflective of this, we submitted 100% of our eligible staff to this Unit of Assessment.
Our results
| Quality level | 4 star % | 3 star % | 2 star % | 1 star % | Unclassified % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 38.0 | 44.0 | 17.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Outputs | 19.0 | 50.6 | 27.9 | 2.5 | 0.0 |
| Impact | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Environment | 12.5 | 87.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Our research environment
Politics and international studies researchers are engaged with national and international policy and practice.
The department of Politics and International Relations has been transformed since REF 2014, following its merger with the Law School. The School of Law and Politics was formed in 2014, with the aim of enhancing opportunities for interdisciplinary research. The department of Politics and International Relations forms our UoA19 submission.
Our research is at the cutting edge of politics and international relations with strengths in international security and strategic studies, Welsh, British and European politics, (including devolved and multi-level governance), political thought, postcolonialism and international relations theory, feminist international relations, global environmental politics, Cold War history, and the interrelationship between international law and international relations.
We work in partnership with policy makers, national and global, to influence the research agenda positively. Our expertise is sought by policy makers in the devolved capitals of Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Belfast, as well as in Whitehall, Westminster, and European institutions. We are frequently called upon to contribute expert testimony at the Welsh and national levels. We have forged partnerships with international organisations, such as NATO and the United Nations.
We expanded the department in 2016 and have worked hard to diversify our research community.
Our strategic expansion has enabled us to more than double our research grant income from £904,265 in REF 2014 to £1,904,469 in REF 2021.
Discover our research
Our research is grouped into interrelated and complementary clusters consisting of academics who are internationally recognised and embedded in UK, European and global networks.
