UCL Uncovering Politics

Transparency is seen as a hallmark of democracy — yet some authoritarian states have real open government policies too. Why? New research suggests a striking answer: transparency may help non-democratic regimes maintain stability, by steering citizens towards official channels and away from protest. The research tests this idea in China and finds clear supporting evidence.

Joining host Alan Renwick is Dr Handi Li, Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the UCL Department of Political Science.

Mentioned in this episode:

Transparency for Authoritarian Stability: Open Government Information and Contention with Institutions in China by Handi Li, World Politics (forthcoming).

Most people see action on climate change as essential. But powerful lobbies continue to push the other way. Understanding what drives corporate opposition to climate policy therefore matters enormously.

New research examines one underexplored factor: company ownership structures. Are publicly listed firms more likely to oppose climate action than privately held ones? Does it matter how concentrated a company's ownership is, or how short-term its investors' horizons are? And what are the implications for governments trying to advance climate policy?

Joining host Alan Renwick to discuss the findings is Jared Finnegan, Lecturer in Public Policy at the UCL Department of Political Science and one of the study's co-authors.

Mentioned in this episode:

Fighting the Future: Short-Term Investors and Business Opposition to Climate Policy by Jared J. Finnegan and Jonas Meckling, British Journal of Political Science.

In parts of the Global South, political elites have framed LGBTQ rights as a foreign, colonial agenda. So should advocates abandon universal rights language in favour of arguments rooted in local traditions and anti-colonial sentiment?

A new study tests exactly this question using survey evidence from Zimbabwe — and finds clear support for the local approach.

Host Alan Renwick is joined by the study's authors, Phillip Ayoub and Adam Harris, both Professors in the UCL Department of Political Science.

Mentioned in this episode:

Rooting Equality: Testing the Effectiveness of Activist Frames Combating Homophobia in Zimbabwe by Phillip M. Ayoub and Adam S. Harris, British Journal of Political Science.

By 2030, more than a million people are expected to be living with dementia in the UK. It is among the most feared conditions — and yet a new book challenges the dominant tragedy narrative surrounding it, proposing instead a vision of social justice and equality for those living with the condition.

What does it mean to treat someone with dementia as a social equal? How should care be reformed to better secure that equality? And what are the practical changes — in policy and in everyday life — that could make a real difference?

Joining host Emily McTernan is Dr. Matilda Carter, Lecturer in Applied Ethics at the University of Leeds, to discuss her new book published by Cambridge University Press.

Mentioned in this episode:

Relating to People Living with Dementia as Equals: Towards Social Justice in Dementia Care by Matilda Carter (Cambridge University Press, 2025).

No woman has ever served as President of the United States. Only two women have ever been nominated as candidates for that office by one of the two main parties. So what is causing this persistent barrier, and how might it be overcome?

These questions are taken up in a new article in The Political Quarterly, which examines the structural, cultural and political factors that have kept women from reaching the highest office in American politics. Is the United States an outlier in global terms when it comes to women's representation at the top of political life? And what would need to change — in parties, in media, in public attitudes — for that to shift?

Joining host Alan Renwick to explore these questions are the article's authors: Rosie Campbell, Professor of Politics at King's College London, and Joni Lovenduski, Professor Emerita at Birkbeck College and Visiting Professor at the Policy Institute at King's College London.

Mentioned in this episode:

What Will it Take for a Woman to Become President of the United States? by Rosie Campbell and Joni Lovenduski, published in The Political Quarterly.