I was appointed Professor Emeritus of Politics in 2013. I initially joined Strathclyde in 1988 and was appointed Professor in 1994. I served as Head of the School of Government and Public Policy until September 2011, having served as Head of the Department of Government 1994-1997, 2004-2007, and 2007-2010.

I am a graduate of the University of Exeter (BA in Politics) and completed my PhD at the University of Sheffield. I have held visiting professorships at the College of Europe in Bruges (2004-2007) and the University of Houston (Fulbright Fellow 1993-1994).

My primary research focus is upon representative democracy and especially parliamentary institutions. This has led to a consistent interest in representative theories and issues of democratic legitimacy. My continuing research has been driven by a desire to show that ‘institutions matter’ and that parliamentary institutions ‘particularly matter’.