Projects per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
James moved to Coventry University in 2018 from King’s College London, where he had lectured in Politics and International Relations since 2015. He holds a PhD in Political Science from UCL, where he also served as Director of MSc Democracy and Comparative Politics from 2013-15.
His research on Central and Eastern Europe has focused on the ways that competing ideological projects such as liberalism and ethnic nationalism shape both elite politics and citizens’ everyday lives. His recent work has been published in the Journal of European Public Policy, JCMS, Journal of Democracy, Comparative European Politics and East European Politics. He is the author of one monograph – Cultures of Democracy in Serbia and Bulgaria: How Ideas Shape Publics (2014; paperback 2016), which was awarded the BASEES George Blazyca Prize. He has also written numerous journalistic articles, including for Foreign Policy magazine, Open Democracy and has appeared as a pundit on BBC Radio 4.
Consistent with his analytical focus on the spread of ideas, he has used ethnographic methods, focus groups, discursive institutionalism and quantitative survey analysis. He is now working on a British Academy-funded project aimed at interpreting socio-political turbulence in Bulgaria in the context of the country’s democratization.
Current PGR Supervision
James has won a Trailblazer Award to fund an incoming PhD student on the project "Contentious Civil Societies and Democratization in Southeastern Europe" from Septmeber 2024.
Completed PGR Students
Prior to taking up his post at Coventry, James supervised 17 MSc Dissertation projects at University College London (Department of Political Science) and a further two at King's College London (Dept. War Studies), all of which were at least passes. (At CU, since 2018, he continues to supervise BA Dissertation projects, of which there have 50+ so far.)
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Political Science, Doctorate, The Elusive Liberal Citizen: Democratization and Public Spheres in Serbia and Bulgaria, University College London
15 Sept 2009 → 28 Sept 2013
Award Date: 28 Sept 2013
Keywords
- JA Political science (General)
- Democratization
- Nationalism
- Liberalism
- Illiberalism
- H Social Sciences (General)
- Ethnography
- Survey Research
- Focus Groups
- Comparing
- JF Political institutions (General)
- European Union
- Enlargement
- JC Political theory
- Democracy
- Public Sphere
- Normative Evaluation
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Active
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Bulgaria’s Political Turmoil as a Democratisation Event?
Dawson, J. (Principal Investigator)
1/12/23 → 31/07/25
Project: Research
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A climate of optimism? EU policy-making, political science and the democratization of Central and Eastern Europe (2000–2015)
Herman, L. E., Dawson, J. & Ananda, A., Jun 2024, In: Comparative European Politics. 22, 3, p. 329-351 23 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile58 Downloads (Pure) -
Cultural liberalism in Eastern and Western Europe: a societal antidote to democratic backsliding?
Ananda, A. & Dawson, J., 3 Mar 2024, In: Journal of European Public Policy. 31, 3, p. 801-824 24 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Citations (Scopus)191 Downloads (Pure) -
Foreground liberalism, background nationalism: A discursive-institutionalist account of EU leverage and ‘democratic backsliding’ in East-Central Europe
Dawson, J. & Hanley, S., 1 Jul 2019, In: Journal of Common Market Studies. 57, 4, p. 710-728 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile28 Citations (Scopus)232 Downloads (Pure) -
“Everyday Democracy”: an ethnographic methodology for the evaluation of (de-) democratisation
Dawson, J., 2018, In: East European Politics. 34, 3, p. 297-316 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Citations (Scopus)274 Downloads (Pure) -
Cultures of Democracy in Serbia and Bulgaria: How Ideas Shape Publics
Dawson, J., 3 Dec 2014, 1 ed. London: Routledge. 224 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
6 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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George Blazyca Book Prize in East European Studies
Dawson, J. (Recipient), 3 Apr 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)