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Post-1995

Graduates from the PhD programme in Political Science

In 1995 the department initiated an integrated PhD programme incorporating, along with the submission of a doctoral thesis, a taught coursework element including methodological training alongside substantive topics. A number of outstanding theses – including two prize-winning theses – have been completed by doctoral students graduating from this programme. Thus far, the doctoral programme has featured in only one comedy sketch.

For further information, or to communicate any updates or amendments, please contact the department's Executive Officer for Postgraduate Courses at polgrad@tcd.ie

At the moment, the list of graduates from TCD's Political Science doctoral programme is as follows:

2022

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr David Moore

Start Spreading the (fake) News: The Role of Fear and Anger in the Formation and Dissemination of Conspiratorial Beliefs

 Constantine Boussalis
Dr Andrea Salvi Explaining the variation in rebels violence in civil conflict: a collection of essays on reactive violence, synthetic events, and counterinsurgency practices Thomas Chadefaux
Dr Kristin Semancik Europeanising Healthcare: The Effects of European Integration on Domestic Systems Raj Chari
Dr Oguzhan Turkoglu Essays on Forced Migration and Civil Conflict: Explaining the Effect of Rebel Groups on Displacement Thomas Chadefaux

2021

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Kevin Lacourse Just Peace and Presumptive Benefit: Using Fair Play Theory to Explain Political Obligation to Provisional Authority Arrangements Peter Stone
Dr Eleonora La Spada Costly Concessions: The Effect of Fragmentation of Self-Determination Movements on State Repression Jesse Dillon Savage
Dr Marco Schito

State-business relations and the politics of state aid in the European Union: a multi-method approach to explaining aid allocations among member states

 Raj Chari

2020

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Somya Chhabra

The Impact of Political Instability on Terrorism: A Mixed-Method Approach

 Thomas Chadefaux
Dr Alan Duggan Campaign Spending and Electoral Integrity: Assessing the Plausibility of the Challenger Spending Efficacy Advantage in Irish & British Elections Ken Benoit
Dr Raluca-Maria Nicoara Authoritarian diffusion at a distance? China’s impact on levels of and on citizens’ support for liberal-democracy in African states Michelle D'Arcy

2019

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Silvia Decadri

Electoral Incentives to Cultivate a Personal Vote and Political Particularism: a Text Analysis Approach

 Constantine Boussalis
Dr Stefan Müller Accountability and the Democratic Mandate: Analysing Pledges, Party Competition,
and Media Coverage		 Gail McElroy

2018

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr David Barrett

The Effect of Observable Party Cohesion on Voter Choice in Liberal Democracies (Abstract)

 Michael Gallagher
Dr Lisa Keenan The Underrepresentation of Women in Political Life: The Case of the Republic of Ireland Gail McElroy
Dr Liam Kneafsey Media Ownership, Differential Coverage and Effects on Public Attitudes: The Case of News Coverage of Labour Unions Gail McElroy

2017

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Michele Crepaz

Investigating the Introduction and the Robustness of Lobbying Laws

 Raj Chari
Dr Andres Hinrichsen Authoritarian Nostalgia in Post-Communist Europe Kenneth Benoit
Dr Gavin Morrison Duties & Obligations in relation to Human Rights Peter Stone
Dr Miriam Sorace Quality of Representation in the European Parliament Gail McElroy

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2016

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Denise Carolin Huebner

The use of group litigation under EU law.

 William Phelan

2015

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Mark Canavan

The impact of localism on public goods and services provision (Abstract)

 Michael Gallagher
Dr Mark Carpenter Understanding Irish lobbying: a comparative case study Raj Chari
Dr Edmond Coughlan Electoral violence in Sub-Saharan Africa: 1997–2010 Ken Benoit
Dr Shqipe Mjekiqi The impact of electoral systems on the behaviour of MPs in newly-democratised countries (Abstract) Michael Gallagher
Dr Laura Schwirz The impact of party leadership evaluations on vote choice: a comparative analysis Michael Marsh

2014

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Michael Courtney

The attitudes and social background of parliamentarians (Abstract)

 Michael Gallagher
Dr Kevin Cunningham Explaining variation in support for the extreme right: a two-stage approach Michael Marsh
Dr Caroline McEvoy Representing Europe's citizens: an analysis of political representation in the European Union Gail McElroy
Dr Carolina Plescia

Split-ticket voting in mixed-member electoral systems: a theoretical and methodological investigation

WINNER of the 2014 Jean Blondel PhD Prize

 Michael Marsh & Kenneth Benoit
Dr Seppe Verheyen

The potential for party switching among the electorate

 Michael Marsh

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2013

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Magdalena Staniek

Political parties in new and established democracies: explaining party pluralism, party unity and party death"

 Kenneth Benoit
Dr Mirjam Allik Women's descriptive representation in national parliaments Michael Marsh
Dr Henrik Hermansson Stakeholder influence in the European Commission's stakeholder consultations Robert Thomson
Dr Catherine Riordan Post-conflict governments 1975–2004: designing effective assistance Kenneth Benoit

2012

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Patrick Theiner The politics of the global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria William Phelan
Dr Raimondas Ibenskas Explaining party splits and mergers in Europe Gail McElroy & Kenneth Benoit
Dr Justin Leinaweaver Explaining the variation in state commitment to environmental treaties Robert Thomson
Dr Adriana Bunea Lobbying Brussels: interest groups' demands and networks in EU environmental policy Robert Thomson & Gail McElroy
Dr Séin Ó Muineacháin Explaining the persistence of factionalism in parties (Abstract) Michael Gallagher
Dr Jennifer Brett The effectiveness of development aid: the role of political institutions Robert Thomson
Dr Thomas Daubler The creation of party election manifestos: how context affects content Ken Benoit
Dr James Cross Decision-making in the European Union: explaining outcomes through negotiation and deliberation Robert Thomson

2011

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Matthew Wall

Politics as usual or exceptional elections? A comparative study of sub-Saharan Africa's multiparty systems

 Ken Benoit
Dr Maciej Gorecki Habitual voting: origins and consequences Michael Marsh

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2010

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Zbyszek Zalinski Media agendas, public opinion and elections: evidence from Ireland and the United Kingdom Michael Marsh
Dr Maria Laura Sudulich Cyber-space oddity? An analysis of political parties’ websites and online campaigning (Abstract) Michael Gallagher
Dr Jane Suiter Chieftains delivering: political determinants of capital spending in Ireland 2001-07 Michael Marsh

2009

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Leonardo Baccini Explaining the new regionalism: the political economy of trade agreements Gail McElroy & Robert Thomson
Dr Ecaterina McDonagh 'Democracy from the outside in': effectiveness of normative pressure and conditionality Ron Hill
Dr Ken McDonagh Exceptional wars: identity and intervention in the US war on terror Eddie Hyland
Dr Shane Mac Giollabhuí The secret life of political parties: a comparative study of candidate selection in African democracies (Abstract) Michael Gallagher
Dr Rory Costello Bicameral politics in the European Union Gail McElroy & Robert Thomson
Dr Shiera El-Malik Presupposing the subject, avoiding ideology: international relations, post-colonialism, and identity Nalini Persram
Dr Slava Mikhailov Measurement issues in the Comparative Manifesto Project data set and effectiveness of representative democracy Ken Benoit
Dr Jos Elkink An agent-based model of democratic diffusion Ken Benoit
Dr Nicola Grenham The politics of financial services regulation: reform and design in a footloose world Raj Chari
Dr Damien French Deliberative democracy, deliberative polls and citizens' juries Eddie Hyland

2008

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Nat O'Connor The democratization of information: freedom of information and democracy in Ireland Eddie Hyland
Dr Liam Weeks We don't like (to) party: explaining the significance of independents in Irish political life (Abstract) Michael Gallagher
Dr Vanessa Liston Microcosms of democracy? Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their impact on political attitudes and behaviour in Kenya Ken Benoit

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2007

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Alex Baturo Presidential institutions and democracy: The political economy of succession and term limits Ken Benoit
Dr Brighid Brooks Kelly An exploration of the relationship between consociationalism and stability in plural societies throughout the world (Abstract) WINNER of the 2008 PSAI Basil Chubb prize Michael Gallagher
Dr Garrett O'Boyle 'How can they justify it to themselves?' Theories of justification and political violence Eddie Hyland
Dr Matt Kerby Comparative ministerial turnover in Canada, 1867-2000 Ken Benoit

2006

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Karen Devine Public opinion and Irish neutrality: a theoretical and empirical test of the 'rational public' hypothesis Eddie Hyland & Michael Marsh
Dr Maura Conway Reality bytes: cyberterrorism and terrorist 'use' of the Internet Nalini Persram
Dr Pat Lyons The Mirror and the Lamp: public opinion in the Republic of Ireland since 1970 Michael Marsh
Dr Eoin O'Malley Give them awkward choices: a theoretical and empirical investigation into the operation of prime ministerial influence on policy in 22 countries (Abstract) WINNER of the 2006 inaugural PSAI Basil Chubb prize Michael Gallagher

2005

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Eric Shea European merger control policy: private interests, policy communities and entrepreneurship Raj Chari
Dr Patrick Bernhagen The political power of business: structure and information in public policymaking Eddie Hyland
Dr Fiachra Kennedy Stability and change in the choice available to voters: the set of potential leaders of government. An aggregate level study of eleven European countries, 1950-1999 Michael Laver & Michael Marsh
Dr Gemma Carney Intellectual and 'real world' feminism: mainstreaming international gender norms in the Republic of Ireland Nalini Persram
Dr Anna Gwiazda Europeanisation and Polish competition policy Ken Benoit
Dr Susanna Pearce The double-edged sword: the impact of religion on the intensity of political conflict Ken Benoit

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2004

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Francesco Cavatorta The international dimension of democratisation: the case of Algeria Nalini Persram
Dr Lucy Mansergh Do parties make a difference? The relationship between government intention and government output in the public policy sphere: the case of governments in Ireland 1977-1997 Michael Laver
Dr Brendan Howe Comparative military interventions: the question of legitimacy Nalini Persram

2003

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Jane O'Mahony The European Union policy process: policy making in the Community pillar Patrick Keatinge & Brigid Laffan

2002

PhD Awarded To Title of Doctoral Thesis Supervisor
Dr Heinz Brandenburg Agenda building: a time-series analysis of the changing issue priorities of parties and media during the 1997 general election campaign in the UK Michael Marsh
Dr Jacqueline Hayden Explaining the collapse of communism in Poland: how the strategic misperception of Round Table negotiators produced an unanticipated outcome Ken Benoit
Dr Mary-Clare O'Sullivan Messengers of the People? An analysis of representation and role orientations in the Irish parliament (Abstract) Michael Gallagher
Dr Karin Gilland Lutz The responsible party model and European integration in Ireland Ken Benoit & Michael Marsh

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