University of Glasgow - Schools - School of Social & Political Sciences - Research - Projects

Research projects in the School of Social & Political Sciences

We bring together research interests across the School of Social & Political Sciences to address the key social and political challenges of our time. Here you will find current and ongoing research projects from within the school.

Our completed research projects can be found here

Photo of a woman holding a placard saying 'We demand democracy'

Democracy Under Threat: How Education can Save it (DEMED)

The project aims to find solutions to the causes of democratic backsliding, and to build new educational programmes using social media to create more resilient democratic societies.

Un flag with blurred images of EU flags in the background

Resourcing International Organisations: How Earmarked Funding Affects Aid Effectiveness

This four-year research programme will explore earmarked contributions and their impact on international development organisations.

Sign post saying work, career, health, family

Women in Multiple Low-Paid Employment

This research project aims to understand the nature and extent of women’s multiple low-paid employment (MLPE) in the UK by combining secondary analysis of national survey data with qualitative research to examine the lived experiences of women in Glasgow

Boy on boat with paddle

Colombia River Stories

This project explores who and what actors and drivers of conflict in Chocó are, how they have developed with respect to alluvial gold mining, and the extent to which ‘river stories’ that integrate the perspectives of communities and the river itself, may inform more inclusive strategies for building sustainable peace.

Energy History

Follow the story of energy through the experiences of workers, local communities and citizens. This online exhibition takes you from the domniance of coal to the oil boom and then the expansion of nuclear power and renewables.

Exploring and Mitigating Electoral Violence

A three-year comparative research project to develop tools to understand where, when and why electoral violence occurs, and to assess strategies for preventing it.

A drawn map of Russia

From Russia with War

This interdisciplinary research project combines the research team members’ joint experience of conducting high-risk ethnographic fieldwork amongst former and active members of armed groups in order to provide an in-depth explanation as to why individuals mobilise to become foreign fighters in the context of the former Soviet Union.

Map with pins in it

Place-Based Research Programme

Place is an important focus for current and future government research and development strategy. Place is also a research topic at the heart of many arts and humanities disciplines, from archaeology and architecture to history and literature.

Why Do Historic Places Matter? Emotional Attachments to Urban Heritage

This research is looking at the emotional attachments that people have to their historic urban environment and identifying the factors that contribute to those feelings. The key questions are how, and to what extent, are emotional attachments to place considered during the designation and management of historic urban assets?

The Scottish Way of Birth and Death

The history of civil registration in Scotland from its beginning in 1855 until the Second World War. It shows how the basic tools of Scotland's 'vital statistics' - the registers of births, marriages and deaths, were produced.

Alternative economic development approaches – RSE workshop series

Workshops in four UK cities where alternative approaches are actively being implemented, plus a follow-on online event, will establish a research-policy network and shared learning platform to: explore the potential for transformative change; support stakeholder implementation; and lay the foundations for future research work.

Watching the watchers: strengthening public oversight of intelligence driven surveillance

This four year research project seeks to strengthen public oversight of digital surveillance for intelligence purposes, with a specific focus on southern Africa.

A History of Working Class Marriage

This project explored the history of working-class courtship, marriage and marriage breakdown in Scotland in the period from the civil registration of marriages in 1855 to the introduction of no-fault divorce legislation in 1976.