Paul Cairney

@paulcairney.bsky.social

5.3K followers 1.7K following 270 posts

Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of Stirling, UK. Past my best. Photo 11 years out of date.
https://paulcairney.wordpress.com/cv/

Videos

Political science 58%

Business 12%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Paul Cairney @paulcairney.bsky.social · 4d

Why don't governments learn, and what can we do about it?
paulcairney.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/w...

Why don’t governments learn, and what can we do about it?

The first in our PoPP group’s series of blog posts reflecting on the connections between established political science/ policy theory insights and a renewed focus on learning from success. Learning…

paulcairney.wordpress.com

Paul Cairney @paulcairney.bsky.social · 14d

Now published in the latest Policy Design and Practice:

So you want to be a systems leader?

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

It's an article about systems leadership. You don't need to want to be a systems leader to read it.

So you want to be a systems leader?

Systems leaders are trusted actors who help many people to collaborate to address wicked policy problems. These policy problems resist simple solutions by a few powerful actors in one center of gov...

www.tandfonline.com

Reposted by Paul Cairney

Dr. Kate Mattocks @katemattocks.bsky.social · 25d

Interesting (esp as I get more and more into public health research) & valuable piece by @paulcairney.bsky.social & colleagues on poli sci approaches to preventative healthcare. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New political science analysis of the renewed push for preventive health: ‘Can it be any different this time around?’

The idea that ‘prevention is better than cure’ is often treated as self-evident in health policymaking: who would not want to shift resources from mit…

www.sciencedirect.com

Reposted by Paul Cairney

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · Oct 10

A reminder: people say "guru" because it uses fewer characters than "charlatan". But still, do come along...

Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · Oct 10

We'll be exploring the Thatcher legacy & her impact on British politics today at the @mileendinstitute.bsky.social on 20 Oct.

With former Thatcher minister, Gillian Shephard; Conservative peer Simone Finn; legendary politics guru @philipjcowley.bsky.social & me.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/still-that...

Still “Thatcher’s Britain”? The Thatcher Legacy, 1925-2025

Join the Mile End Institute to explore why Margaret Thatcher continues to cast such a shadow across British politics!

www.eventbrite.co.uk

Reposted by Paul Cairney

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · Sep 29

The 'what did we learn on our summer holidays?' anonymous memo itself archive.ph/5imGV

archive.ph

Reposted by Paul Cairney, Robert C. Richards

prof toni haastrup @tonihaastrup.bsky.social · Sep 29

This is….and imagine all the other ways this manifests… and across different contexts

JazzReads📚 @jazzreads.bsky.social · Sep 28

So exhausting..

Paul Cairney @paulcairney.bsky.social · Sep 25

Using political science to inform our understanding of the challenges of preventive health policymaking: ‘Can this time be any different?’

paulcairney.wordpress.com/2025/09/25/u...

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Using political science to inform our understanding of the challenges of preventive health policymaking: ‘Can this time be any different?’

By Paul Cairney, John Boswell, Hashum Mahmood, Annie Bliss. This post summarises our new article in Social Science & Medicine. Advocates of preventive health and care policy often feel like the…

paulcairney.wordpress.com

Reposted by Paul Cairney

Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry @covid19inquiry.scot · Sep 19

We will hear from:
🔵 Professor Nicole Busby - Professor in Human Rights, Equality and Justice, @uofglasgow.bsky.social
🔵 Professor @paulcairney.bsky.social - Professor of Politics and Public Policy, @stir.ac.uk

For more information please visit our website: covid19inquiry.scot

Professor Nicole Busby is Professor of Human Rights, Equality and Justice at the University of Glasgow. They have over 30 years of experience focused on EU law, labour law, equality law, and human rights. She holds a PhD in Law, with a specialism in EU and UK sex equality law. She has held key advisory roles and currently serves on the Scottish Government’s Human Rights Incorporation and Implementation Oversight Board.

Professor Paul Cairney is Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the University of Stirling. He specialises in UK and Scottish Government policymaking, with a particular focus on public health and inequalities. He served as Special Advisor to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee inquiry into effective government decision-making, and as an Expert Witness to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, providing a written report and oral evidence on Scottish political governance.

Paul Cairney @paulcairney.bsky.social · Sep 13

Yes, in that there are high/low state versions of the same vague ambition

Reposted by Chris Hanretty

Paul Cairney @paulcairney.bsky.social · Sep 13

New political science analysis of the renewed push for preventive health: ‘Can it be any different this time around?

doi.org/10.1016/j.so...

Redirecting

doi.org

Reposted by Paul Cairney

polprocessrsch.bsky.social @polprocessrsch.bsky.social · Aug 28

📢 UPDATE! The submission deadline has been extended to September 15th. As always, we look forward to reviewing your proposals.—COPPR Team policyprocessresearch.org/coppr26-prop...

COPPR26 Proposal Submission & Registration

Important Dates to Remember June 5, 2025-September 15, 2025: Open call for pre-COPPR workshops, papers, panels, and roundtable proposals October 15, 2025: Notification of accepted or rejected propo…

policyprocessresearch.org

Reposted by Paul Cairney

polprocessrsch.bsky.social @polprocessrsch.bsky.social · Aug 25

🏛️ Do you map belief systems, coalitions, and policy subsystems? The Advocacy Coalition Framework remains a cornerstone of policy process research — and so is #COPPR26. Submit your ACF work by Aug 31. policyprocessresearch.org/coppr26-prop...

COPPR26 Proposal Submission & Registration

Important Dates to Remember June 5, 2025-August 31, 2025: Open call for pre-COPPR workshops, papers, panels, and roundtable proposals September 30, 2025: Notification of accepted or rejected propos…

policyprocessresearch.org

Reposted by Paul Cairney

Clemens Hoffmann @clemhoffmann.bsky.social · Aug 22

We had a wee Stirling in-house think about the relationship between critical climate justice and Policy Studies with Andrea Schapper @envjusticeresstir.bsky.social, @paulcairney.bsky.social, @hyeyoonpark.bsky.social, @neilcrawford.bsky.social
and Hannes Stephan
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New directions in climate justice? A dialogue between critical climate justice and policy studies scholars

New directions in just climate policymaking can emerge from the dialogue between critical climate justice and policy studies scholars. Current climate…

www.sciencedirect.com

Paul Cairney @paulcairney.bsky.social · Aug 22

New Directions in Climate Justice? A Dialogue Between Critical Climate Justice and Policy Studies Scholars

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New directions in climate justice? A dialogue between critical climate justice and policy studies scholars

New directions in just climate policymaking can emerge from the dialogue between critical climate justice and policy studies scholars. Current climate…

www.sciencedirect.com

Reposted by Paul Cairney

John Holbein @johnholbein1.bsky.social · Aug 20

Political scientists: can you help me with something?

I'm adding suggested podcast episodes to my Politics of Public Policy syllabus this year.

I need a podcast episode on these two topics:

-Agenda Setting
-Policy Feedback

Anything come to mind?

Thanks in advance!

Reposted by Paul Cairney, Ben Worthy

Guillermo M. Cejudo @gmocejudo.bsky.social · Aug 18

Policy fragmentation and incoherence are inevitable in the real world

@paulcairney.bsky.social
Why perfect policy coherence is unattainable (and may be ill-advised)

@policysciences.bsky.social

link.springer.com/article/10.1...