Abstract
There are many reasons to be optimistic about the study of British politics, not least the excellent intentions of its leading figures. Some grounds for concern nonetheless remain. Most obvious are threats posed by the worsening funding situation, which underline the need to demonstrate research relevance and ensure readability. In addition, given that British politics research needs to provide depth of explanation, it is regrettable that perspectives of political sociology and Marxism have tended to be sidelined. Although the value of diversity is recognised in theory, there is significant under-representation both of female and especially BME voices in the discipline, as well as insufficient focus on the dimension of age in substantive research. Finally, studies of British politics need to take the long view, which means giving greater emphasis in particular to environmental issues.
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Randall, V. Studying British politics: The best of intentions not always realised. Br Polit 7, 17–29 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1057/bp.2011.35
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bp.2011.35