UCL - School of Public Policy / Political Science

28/05/2026

🏛️ How Do Judges' Personal Views Affect Asylum Rulings?

Courts are supposed to treat like cases alike. But research consistently finds that judges' backgrounds and beliefs can influence their decisions.

Tune in to this week's episode of 🎙️UCL Uncovering Politics🎙️, where we hear from Ben Lauderdale, Professor of Political Science, and Judith Spirig, Associate Professor of Political Science at the UCL Department of Political Science.

Listen to the full episode: https://tinyurl.com/w8ueumbp

22/05/2026

Join us for a lunchtime book launch with Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Women & Politics Programme at Rutgers University, Mona Lena Krook.

- Register via 'Events' link in bio -

Over the last three decades, women have made significant inroads into political life. Yet the equal and inclusive sharing of political power remains elusive. The number of women in political positions still falls short of full equality, and even when women enter politics, they often continue to be marginalized and do not reflect the full diversity of women as a group.

Elect Women for a Change provides a roadmap for achieving gender parity in politics, drawing on the author’s academic work and policy experience over more than 25 years working with international organizations, governments, and civil society groups.

22/05/2026

Join us for a lunchtime book launch with Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Women & Politics Programme at Rutgers University, Mona Lena Krook.

- Register via link in bio -

Over the last three decades, women have made significant inroads into political life. Yet the equal and inclusive sharing of political power remains elusive. The number of women in political positions still falls short of full equality, and even when women enter politics, they often continue to be marginalized and do not reflect the full diversity of women as a group.

Krook's book 'Elect Women for a Change' provides a roadmap for achieving gender parity in politics, drawing on the author’s academic work and policy experience over more than 25 years working with international organizations, governments, and civil society groups.

22/05/2026

Why are some authoritarian governments willing to let their citizens know when things go wrong?

Transparency is seen as a hallmark of democracy — yet some authoritarian states have real open government policies too.

Tune in to this week's episode of 🎙️ UCL Uncovering Politics🎙️, where we hear from Dr Handi Li, Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the Department of Political Science.

- Link to the full episode in our bio -

21/05/2026

Why are some authoritarian governments willing to let their citizens know when things go wrong?

Transparency is seen as a hallmark of democracy — yet some authoritarian states have real open government policies too.

Tune in to this week's episode of 🎙️ UCL Uncovering Politics🎙️, where we hear from Dr Handi Li, Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the UCL Department of Political Science.

Listen to the full episode: https://tinyurl.com/2xmajeej

14/05/2026

What are the implications for governments trying to advance climate policy?

Most people see action on climate change as essential. But powerful lobbies continue to push the other way.

Tune in to this week's episode of 🎙️ UCL Uncovering Politics🎙️, where we hear from Jared Finnegan, Lecturer in Public Policy in the UCL Department of Political Science.

Full episode: https://tinyurl.com/4kvct36h

08/05/2026

What does a century of parliamentary debate reveal about immigration rhetoric in Britain?

New collaborative research between UCL and The Guardian analysed 100 years of speeches in the UK House of Commons to explore how political language around immigration has changed over time.

The project brought together journalists, data scientists and researchers across UCL and The Guardian, combining political analysis, machine learning and large-scale parliamentary data. Contributions include work with Dr Gloria Gennaro and colleagues across multiple disciplines.

This week, the research was also highlighted by Katharine Viner in a major essay on journalism, AI and the information crisis.
Read the analysis and working paper:

Guardian feature: tinyurl.com/ucl-glo
Academic working paper: tinyurl.com/ucl-gennaro

What role should data science play in understanding political debate? Join the discussion below.

UCL Social & Historical Sciences

07/05/2026

Should advocates abandon universal rights language in favour of arguments rooted in local traditions and anti-colonial sentiment?

Tune in to this week's episode of 🎙️UCL Uncovering Politics🎙️, where we hear from Phillip Ayoub and Adam Harris, both professors in the UCL Department of Political Science.

Listen to the full episode at uncoveringpolitics.com

UCL Social & Historical Sciences

05/05/2026

10 years of connecting organisations with world-class talent 🎉
🔗https://tinyurl.com/soda10y

For a decade, the UCL Social Data Institute’s Internship Programme has partnered with organisations across the private, public and non-profit sectors to deliver real-world impact.

Celebrate this milestone with them and discover how you can collaborate with top-tier talent from one of the world’s leading universities.

🕛 18:00 | 13 May 2026
📍 UCL, Bloomsbury, London

Booking is essential: https://tinyurl.com/soda10y

UCL UCL Social & Historical Sciences

Celebrate 10 years of UCL’s Social Data Science Internship Programme bringing students and organisations together for real-world impact.

04/05/2026

📣Calling all PolSci students

Are you the owner of a coherent collection of printed and/or manuscript materials you’re proud of?

Apply for the Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize for a chance to win £600, plus an allowance of £300 to buy a book for us and share your collection through a talk.

Please note that you must apply before 25th May 2026.

Head to https://tinyurl.com/y44r4hf4 to find out more!

UCL

Image credit: A selection of stamp album covers from Penny James’ collection, 2025’s runner-up.