Role
Emeritus Professor of Public Administration
Until September 2007, Chris was Associate Dean (Research) in the College of Business, Law and Social Sciences. She has extensive experience of managing research degrees and research training, supporting bidding for research grants and contracts, and promoting research quality.
For many years, Chris taught British Politics, Public Policy and Public Administration, on undergraduate, postgraduate and professional courses. In recent years, she has taught on the Graduate School’s master programme in Research Methods and also contributes to the College’s Programme of Supporting Studies for PhD students.
Chris is currently writing a book on the management of personal information in the post-liberal state.
She has recently completed a major ESRC-funded project, £232K, on Joined up government: data-sharing and privacy in multi-agency working (with Professor Perri Six and Professor Charles Raab) (RES-000-23-0158). View publications from this project.
Previous research was funded by the ESRC, the Nuffield Foundation and the European Union.
Career overview
Chris has successfully supervised PhD and MPhil students in a wide variety of fields in the field of public policy, social policy and public administration, including local democracy, mental health, e-democracy and political participation, human rights, food safety, urban regeneration and e-government.
As a retired member of staff, Chris is no longer available to act as a lead supervisor for PhD students, but is happy to act as a co-supervisor for projects in social and public policy.
Research areas
- Social Policy
Chris' current research interests are in the field of information policy, particularly in relation to the management of risk and the prevention of harm in contemporary social policy.
In recent years, she has written and researched in the field of eGovernment, with special reference to the use of information and communications technology in government and parliament.
Chris' earlier research interests were in the field of administrative history, especially the history of social policy and local government in England and Wales.
External activity
Chris is a Member of the Academy of Social Sciences (ALSISS) and a life-time Honorary Fellow of the Joint University Council. She also serves on the Editorial Board of the journal, Public Policy and Administration.
She has formerly served on the following external bodies:
- member of the sub-panel for Politics and International Relations, RAE2008
- member of the Research Evaluation Committee of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), 2004-8
- mentor to the TSB/EPSRC/ESRC Initiative on Ensuring Privacy and Trust (EPAC), 2008
- Chair, Joint University Council, and previously Chair of its Public Administration Committee
- member, Commissioning Panel, ESRC E-Society Programme
- Evaluator, End of Programme Evaluation of the ESRC’s Whitehall Programme (with Dr Matt Henn), 2000
- member, Editorial Board, Public Administration
- member, Social and Public Administration Board, Council for National Academic Awards.
Chris' international dissemination activities include keynote speeches at the Annual Conference of the Institute of Public Administration Australia, several conferences sponsored by the Government of the Republic of South Korea and a private seminar for the Prime Minister and Cabinet of Latvia.
Chris has also provided confidential advice on issues arising from the processing and sharing of personal data to several government bodies.
Sponsors and collaborators
Chris’s collaborators have included Professor John Taylor (Glasgow Caledonian University)