Dr John Boswell

Associate Professor in Politics, Deputy Director of the Centre for Citizenship, Globalisation and Governance

I am an Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Southampton.

My research and teaching interests centres around contemporary issues and themes in democratic governance and public policy. My research is generally qualitative and interpretive in nature, and I also have an interest in writing and teaching on methodological matters in this tradition.

Research

Responsibilities

Publications

Teaching

Contact

Research interests

I have written especially on the following: deliberative democracy in theory and practice; citizen engagement and democratic innovation; the politics of public policy; public health policy and social policy; policy advocacy and political rhetoric; the role of experts and scientific evidence in democratic debate and policymaking; and interpretive and qualitative research methods in the social sciences. I am happy to supervise postgraduate students in all these areas.

Current project

Mending Democracy: Democratic Repair in Disconnected Times

Written with Carolyn Hendriks (ANU) and Selen Ercan (University of Canberra), this book brings together a decade of rich qualitative insight into the creative ways in which citizens, civil society actors and civil servants are working to enhance citizen input into policymaking in everyday practice. Linking our fine-grained insights to cutting edge democratic theory, we argue that scholars and practitioners seeking to reform and renew democracy need to pay more attention to the everyday practices of democratic mending, rather than focus so much attention on recipes for institutional (re)design.

Recent project

The Art and Craft of Comparison

Written with PAIR colleagues Rod Rhodes and Jack Corbett, this book sets out the case for an unorthodox and creative approach to doing comparative research in politics and the broader social sciences. It is the culmination of several years of teaching, talking and thinking about interpretive methods at the Centre for Political Ethnography in Southampton.

I currently serve as:

Thematic Cluster Pathway Coordinator for Citizenship, Governance and Security in the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership
Head of Programmes for the Masters in Social Research Methods
Programme Lead for the Masters in Public Administration

Sort via:TypeorYear

Articles

Books

Boswell, J. (2022). Magical thinking in public policy: why naive ideals to improve policymaking persist in cynical times. Oxford University Press.
Hendriks, C. M., Ercan, S. A., & Boswell, J. (2020). Mending democracy: democratic repair in disconnected times. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198843054.001.0001
Boswell, J., Corbett, J., & Rhodes, R. A. W. (2019). The art and craft of comparison. (First ed.) (Strategies for Social Inquiry). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108561563
Boswell, J. (2016). The real war on obesity: contesting knowledge and meaning in a public health crisis. (Palgrave Studies in Science, Knowledge and Policy). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58252-2

Book Chapters

Boswell, J., Hendriks, C. M., & Ercan, S. A. (2023). Beyond citizens' assemblies: expanding the repertoire of democratic reform. In M. Reuchamps, J. Vrydagh, & Y. Welp (Eds.), De Gruyter Handbook of Citizens' Assemblies (pp. 85-96). (Citizens’ Assemblies and Mini-Publics; Vol. 1). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110758269-009
Boswell, J., & Rhodes, R. A. W. (Accepted/In press). The blame game and backstage politics’. In M. Flinders, G. Diminova, M. Hinterleitner, K. Weaver, & R. A. W. Rhodes (Eds.), The Politics and Governance of Blame Oxford University Press.
Boswell, J. (2022). Research methods in deliberative democracy. In S. Ercan, H. Asenbaum, N. Curato, & R. Mendonça (Eds.), Research Methods in Deliberative Democracy (pp. 333). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192848925.001.0001
Hendriks, C. M., & Boswell, J. (Accepted/In press). Governance networks. In Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy Oxford University Press.

Journal Special Issue

Boswell, J., & Corbett, J. (2014). Introduction: Interpretation in the study of Australian politics and policy. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 73(3), 291-295. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12082

Letters/Editorials

Reports

Smith, J., Devine, D., & Boswell, J. (2022). Managing as a Minister: How personal style and gender norms affect leadership in governance. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publications/managing-minister
Tyers, R., Huckins, J., & Boswell, J. (2020). Assessing the #DelibWave in the UK: A report on the impact of Citizens’ Assemblies in British Government. Public Policy at Southampton.
Boswell, J. (Accepted/In press). The Impact of Science: How is evidence understood and valued in policymaking? Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Annison, H., Boswell, J., Telford, M., & Thornton, J. (2016). Penal policymaking: a collaborative symposium. Summary report. University of Southampton.

Reviews

Boswell, J. (2022). The pandemic within: policy making for a better world. Critical Policy Studies, 16(2), 259-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/19460171.2022.2053178
Boswell, J. (2017). Listening for Democracy: Recognition, Representation, Reconciliation. By Andrew Dobson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. 240p. $29.99 paperback Deliberative Democracy between Theory and Practice. By Michael A. Neblo. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. 232p. $99.00. Perspectives on Politics, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592717001578

I convene:

RESM6309 Working Across Disciplines
PAIR2016/3025 Public Policy Analysis
PAIR6043 Comparative Public Administration

I also contribute to:

PAIR2004 Qualitative Research Methods

Research supervision
I have supervised PhD students in a wide variety of topics related to my research interests in democratic governance, public policy and public administration.

Dr John Boswell
Reception Building 58 University of Southampton Southampton SO17 1BJ United Kingdom

Email: J.C.Boswell@soton.ac.uk

Room Number : 58/3071

Share this profile Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on Weibo

Privacy Settings