Politics, History & International Relations

• About Us
• People in the Department
• Academics
• Teaching Staff
• Support Staff
• Postgraduate Researchers
• Visitors and Visiting Fellows
• Alumni Graduate Students
• Studying With Us
• Our Research
• News and Events
• Contact Us
• Search
• Home

Academics

Phil Parvin BA, MA, PhD

Lecturer in Politics Email P.Parvin@lboro.ac.uk Tel. Secretary: +44 (0)1509 222991 Tel. Direct: +44 (0)1509 222985 Fax: +44 (0)1509 223917 Department of Politics, History and International Relations Loughborough University Loughborough Leics. LE11 3TU UK

Biography
I have a BA from the University of Kent, an MA from the University of York, and a PhD from the London School of Economics. Before coming to Loughborough I was a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge University, and a Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge. I have also taught at Queen Mary University of London, and the London School of Economics, and was, for the Fall semester 2009, a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to my academic posts, I was also a Director at the Hansard Society, and a Research Associate for the think tank Catalyst. Research My specialist field is political theory, although I also publish in the fields of democratic theory, British politics, and public policy. I have recently completed a book on the political thought of Karl Popper, which will be published by Continuum Press in Spring 2010. The book explores the influence of Popper's work on liberal and conservative political thought, and locates his work within contemporary debates in Anglo-American political philosophy and social thought. It critically assesses Popper's work, and draws upon the work of other thinkers and political philosophers in order to evaluate his place in the wider liberal and conservative traditions and the contribution his ideas make to wider normative debates about freedom, equality, and social justice.

My current research is on the relationship between political philosophy and public policy, with particular emphasis on the issues which arise when applying normative conceptions of justice to existing democratic states. I have written on a range of issues in contemporary political theory in numerous peer-reviewed journals and edited collections: issues including multiculturalism, autonomy, deliberative democracy, and liberal justice. I have also published numerous articles and pamphlets on issues facing contemporary liberal democratic states like Britain and the USA, such as political disengagement, localism, and the role of lobbying and other non-government organisations in representative democracies. Details of all these publications are provided below. 

I am currently writing a book entitled Democracy and Deliberation: Egalitarianism and Engagement in 21st Century Politics in which I investigate the practical and normative implications of applying the deliberative democratic model of political decision-making in diverse states suffering from a decline in political engagement among its citizenry, and evaluate the extent to which traditional debates in Anglo-American political theory about egalitarianism and social justice might inform wider debates about inequalities in rates of political participation.

Detailed searchable list of publications

Current and forthcoming academic publications include:


Books

The Political Thought of Karl Popper (Continuum Press, 2010).

Political Philosophy: The Essentials (Hodder Education, forthcoming 2013).

A Philosophical Defence of Lobbying: Power, Influence, and Democracy in the 21st Century (University of California Press, forthcoming 2014).

Journal Articles

“Modernism’s legacy: Dialogue, objectivity, and justice in Mark Bevir’s Democratic Governance, Local Government Studies 38/1 (2011).

“The rationalist tradition and the problem of induction: Karl Popper’s rejection of epistemological optimism”, The History of European Ideas, 37/3 (2011).

“Localism and the left: the need for strong central government”, Renewal 19/2(2011).

“Coercive redistribution and public agreement: re-evaluating the libertarian challenge of charity”, Critical Review of International, Social, and Political Philosophy 13/1 (2010). With C. Chambers.

“Identity and integration in an international context: Problems and ambiguities in the new politics of multiculturalism”, Political Studies Review 7/3(2009).

“Against localism: Does decentralising power to communities fail minorities?” The Political Quarterly 80/3 (2009).

“What’s special about culture? Identity, autonomy, and public reason”, Critical Review of International, Social, and Political Philosophy 11/3 (2008).

“Defending representative democracy: Political parties and the future of political engagement in the UK”, Parliamentary Affairs 58/3 (2005). With D. McHugh.

Book Chapters

“Coercive redistribution and public agreement: re-evaluating the libertarian challenge of charity”,M. Matravers & L. Meyers (eds) Democracy, Equality, and Justice (Routledge, 2010). With C. Chambers.

“Voting” in Lori Cox Han and Michael C. Genovese (eds.) Encyclopedia of American Government & Civics (New York: Facts on File, 2008).

“Will Kymlicka” in Duncan Brack and Ed Randall (eds.) Dictionary of Liberal Thought (Politico’s Publishing, 2007).
 
“Joseph Raz” in Duncan Brack and Ed Randall (eds.) Dictionary of Liberal Thought (Politico’s Publishing, 2007).
 
“Three responses to diversity?” in Randall Hansen (ed.) Liberalism, Secularism, and Integration in Europe (forthcoming 2013).

“What kind of dialogue do we need? Gender, deliberation and comprehensive values” in Jude Browne (ed.) Dialogue, Ethics and Gender Identity (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2013). With C. Chambers.

Other Publications

“Power to the people or entrenching inequality?” Public Servant, Nov. 2010, p. 13.

“New politics and public services – localism or lottery?” Sept. 2010. Online debate hosted by the Speakers Corner Trust. Available here.

Friend or Foe? Lobbying in British Democracy (Hansard Society, 2007).

Neglecting Democracy: Participation & Representation in 21st Century Britain, 2nd Edition (Hansard Society, 2006). With D. McHugh.

Review Essays

Cecile Fabre, Whose Body is it Anyway? Justice and the Integrity of the Person, in The Journal of Moral Philosophy 7/2 (2010).

Will Kymlicka, Multicultural Odysseys: Navigating the New International Politics of Diversity, in Contemporary Political Theory 8/1 (2009).

Marina Oshana, Personal Autonomy in Society, in Contemporary Political Theory 6/4 (2007).

Monique Deveaux, Cultural Pluralism and Dilemmas of Justice, in The Canadian Journal of Political Science 35/4 (2002).

Shane O’Neill, Impartiality in Context: Grounding Justice in a Pluralist World, in Utilitas 12/1 (2000).