NEW POLICY BRIEFING: As Andy Burnham prepares to become Prime Minister, @jmchickson.bsky.social explores why the 'securonomics' agenda remains critical for UK policymaking, and why it should now be meaningfully devolved from central government. livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3194542/1/PB...

For those who missed the brilliant public event on 'The City as a Democratic Frontier in an Authoritarian Age' at LSE Cities, I've turned my notes into a new blog post for @livuniheseltine.bsky.social www.liverpool.ac.uk/heseltine-in...

Burnham's speech today offers a good opportunity to reshare this paper by @jacknewman.bsky.social and I, where we argue more is needed to deliver practically on the promise of English devolution to disrupt concentrated power and renew our democracy. Is this something a Number 10 North can achieve?

Political Quarterly@politicalquarterly.bsky.social · last yr.

Localism, Levelling up, and Taking Back Control: tensions in the ambiguous justification of English devolution @jmchickson.bsky.social @jacknewman.bsky.social #Englishdevolution #politicaldecentralisation #takingbackcontrol #levellingup #localism onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Spaces available in person and online for this public event at LSE -- part of a three day conference on The City as a Democratic Frontier in an Authoritarian Age that I am organising with @mwojciechowska.bsky.social @drjoehoover.bsky.social and @ben-rog.bsky.social www.lse.ac.uk/cities/event...

LSE Cities Public Lecture | The City as a Democratic Frontier in an 'Authoritarian Age'

Cities are often described as inherently more progressive and cosmopolitan than nation states. But is this true, and if yes, why?

lse.ac.uk

Reading Raymond Williams' novel, The Fight for Manod (1979), and this passage feels as timely as ever...

The Commentary Roundtable on The Global Politics of Precarity and Insecure Work, edited by @stellamorgana.bsky.social and I, now has a permanent home in the latest issue of @gpejournal.bsky.social (Volume 5, Issue 1). Read more here: bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...

James Hickson@jmchickson.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Building on our workshop last year on The Global Politics of Precarity and Insecure Work, @stellamorgana.bsky.social and I are delighted to share a collection of 6 original commentary articles on this theme in @gpejournal.bsky.social Read the full introduction here: doi.org/10.1332/2635...

⭐Enjoy free access to our journal Editors’ highlights from recent issues. Access these articles for free until 30 April. Congrats to all featured authors! @gemmagasseau.bsky.social @jmchickson.bsky.social bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/subject/Edit...

Call for papers: We're getting used to cities standing up to populists leaders. But what explains this & what intellectual, legal & political resources can they draw on in their fight? Delighted to be working w/ @mwojciechowska.bsky.social @jmchickson.bsky.social Joe Hoover. Apply: lnkd.in/ee3dkZj6

Wonderful to end the year with news that my recent article with @jacknewman.bsky.social now has a permanent home in Vol.96 Issue 4 of @politicalquarterly.bsky.social. Read it here: doi.org/10.1111/1467...

Localism, Levelling Up and Taking Back Control: Tensions in the Ambiguous Justification of English Devolution

There is an increasingly powerful argument for the decentralisation of policy making in England's highly centralised political context. In recent years, this issue has represented one of the clearest...

doi.org

Big thank you to @drjoehoover.bsky.social and @theorylab.bsky.social for inviting me to present my paper on Inequality, precarity, and domination in 'left behind' communities as part of their work in progress seminar series. Some great feedback to think about on the train back north...

TheoryLAB is excited to have @jmchickson.bsky.social presenting on "Inequality, precarity and domination in ‘left behind’ communities” at our Work in Progress Seminar Wed., 11 Nov. (4-5.30pm) at QM’s Mile End Campus. Message here or spir-theorylab@qmul.ac.uk for info or to join our mailing list.

📢 My new journal article is out today in Global Political Economy in a great collection edited by @jmchickson.bsky.social and @stellamorgana.bsky.social. I explore job insecurity across England’s mayoral combined authorities — and what this means for regional inequality and economic growth. A🧵...

Surveillance and propaganda reign supreme in the fictional world of “1984”—for which generations have found real-life parallels, again and again. The new film “Orwell: 2+2=5” argues that noting such similarities isn’t enough, writes Shirley Li:

It’s Not Enough to Read Orwell

A new film argues that, in an era of rising authoritarianism, audiences have become too numb to the speculative force of “1984.”

bit.ly

Building on our workshop last year on The Global Politics of Precarity and Insecure Work, @stellamorgana.bsky.social and I are delighted to share a collection of 6 original commentary articles on this theme in @gpejournal.bsky.social Read the full introduction here: doi.org/10.1332/2635...

What is the endgame in this toxic immigration debate: is it friends and neighbours thrown out of the country? | Jonthan Liew

What is the endgame in this toxic immigration debate: is it friends and neighbours thrown out of the country? | Jonthan Liew

The notion of remigration was abstract, but the right is dragging it towards respectability. If the goal is homogeneous whiteness, they should say it, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew

theguardian.com

I’ve been frustrated to see so much of the ongoing story about asylum seekers and the protests against them covered without hearing from those seeking asylum and now being met with hostility and hatred I set out to speak to those directly affected to find out about the impact this is having 👇

We escaped war and torture but now we feel unsafe in Britain

Special report: Amid protests and rising aggression towards asylum seekers across the country, we spoke to those being targeted

liverpoolecho.co.uk

@jacknewman.bsky.social and @jmchickson.bsky.social discuss the tensions and ambiguity at the heart of the devolution agenda "Although the what of English devolution appears to be settled for now, the why remains much more volatile."

Localism, Levelling Up and Taking Back Control: Tensions in the Ambiguous Justification of English Devolution

The government’s devolution bill is justified along economic growth lines. This risks the devolution agenda as a whole if it doesn't materalise.

politicalquarterly.org.uk

Nice to be back in Manchester today for the MANCEPT workshops, where I presented on radical municipalism and republican political theory as part of the workshop on The City as a Normative Political Space: Institutions, Relations, and Republicanism.

"Although the what of English devolution appears to be settled for now, the why remains much more volatile." @jacknewman.bsky.social and @jmchickson.bsky.social discuss the tensions and ambiguity at the heart of the devolution agenda

Localism, Levelling Up and Taking Back Control: Tensions in the Ambiguous Justification of English Devolution

The government’s devolution bill is justified along economic growth lines. This risks the devolution agenda as a whole if it doesn't materalise.

politicalquarterly.org.uk

My take on the hefty English devolution & community empowerment bill that was introduced earlier this month. One of several reforms the govt is quietly getting on with, it marks a shift towards a more coherent, standardised framework and places English devolution on a firmer constitutional footing.

Bennett Institute for Public Policy@bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk · last yr.

The English devolution bill marks a major shift in how England is governed, with more powers for mayors & local areas—but concerns remain over accountability & local voice. @alwalker.bsky.social explores this big moment for the governance of England. www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/blog/english...

Localism, Levelling up, and Taking Back Control: tensions in the ambiguous justification of English devolution @jmchickson.bsky.social @jacknewman.bsky.social #Englishdevolution #politicaldecentralisation #takingbackcontrol #levellingup #localism onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

New article in @politicalquarterly.bsky.social by @jmchickson.bsky.social and @jacknewman.bsky.social - a timely intervention following the recent publication of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Localism, Levelling Up and Taking Back Control: Tensions in the Ambiguous Justification of English Devolution

There is an increasingly powerful argument for the decentralisation of policy making in England's highly centralised political context. In recent years, this issue has represented one of the clearest....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

NEW: @jacknewman.bsky.social and I have just published our new article 'Localism, Levelling Up and Taking Back Control: Tensions in the Ambiguous Justification of English Devolution' open access in @politicalquarterly.bsky.social. Read the article here: doi.org/10.1111/1467...

Localism, Levelling Up and Taking Back Control: Tensions in the Ambiguous Justification of English Devolution

There is an increasingly powerful argument for the decentralisation of policy making in England's highly centralised political context. In recent years, this issue has represented one of the clearest...

doi.org

In a new blog for the @apaphilosophy.bsky.social, I explore how republican political philosophy can help us to illuminate the expansion of unchecked, arbitrary power in contemporary politics, and articulate why this poses such a threat to freedom and democracy blog.apaonline.org/2025/06/11/t...

If any members have any ideas for applications for this funding, please get in touch with the group convenors by 20 June 👇

Political Studies Association@polstudiesassoc.bsky.social · last yr.

*PSA OPPORTUNITY* - New Excellence & Impact Fund available for PSA Specialist Groups. 📆 Apply by 30 June. ➡️ Full details online.

Delighted to share that @mwojciechowska.bsky.social and I have published our article, Why go local? Developing the research agenda for “local political theory”, in the European Journal of Political Theory. It's available open access here: doi.org/10.1177/1474...

Delighted to share that @mwojciechowska.bsky.social and I have published our article, Why go local? Developing the research agenda for “local political theory”, in the European Journal of Political Theory. It's available open access here: doi.org/10.1177/1474...

Brilliant panel led by @ariannagiovannini.bsky.social on the role of academia in shaping policy, particularly at the subregional level in England. Lots of valuable experience, insight, and advice from Patrick Diamond, Peter Murphy, @louisereardon.bsky.social, and @rileyresearch.bsky.social #PSA2025

Great to be in Birmingham for @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social conference. I'll be presenting a paper, written with Hannah McHugh, on 'Republican citizenship in an era of economic globalisation' on Wednesday as part of a @psapolthought.bsky.social panel on the politics of marginality & cosmopolitanism