scottish politics dissertation ideas

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Politics thesis and dissertation collection

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Recent Submissions

Understanding decentralisation and its effects in an authoritarian context: the case of kazakhstan , commons as deliberative systems: designing institutions for the common good , pluriversal reconciliation: democratic theories, political violence and onto-epistemic dialogue , politics of media circulation: tracing the distribution of digital photographs of and from kashmir , stop the killer robots war humanisers future-proofing the war machine , sex, gender and constitutional attitudes: voting behaviour in the scottish independence referendum , ideas in international trade: the role of programmatic beliefs in the eu and china's approaches to the wto dsm , young farmers regeneration policy in indonesia: a capability approach , 'aquí se ve la fuerza del sme': a political economy analysis of the mexican electrical workers union's path towards self-management , dethroning the sovereign individual: a confucian reconstruction of the theory of right holding , rentier state revisited: the politics of sovereign wealth funds in saudi arabia , knowing better, doing better international development ngos, faith and wellbeing , freedom in and out of work: platforms, precarity, and the democratization of work , personality and us presidential choices: a study of the protracted afghanistan war , reproduction of ignorance in normative political theory: an intersectional methodological critique , speculative leadership: using a radical hegel to reinterpret practice in local government , politics of budget decision-making in south africa , typology of statelessness , lithium overdose: market practices and symptomatology of lithium trade in latin america , taking a ‘leap of faith’ to migrate: exploring uk approaches to anti-human trafficking .

Dissertation topics - Scottish Politics.

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STORRE: Stirling Online Research Repository

• Faculty of Arts and Humanities
• History and Politics

History and Politics eTheses : [113] Collection home page

This collection contains electronic copies of theses produced by History and Politics students.

Note: Some items may not be viewable as they are being prepared for publication.

The copyright in theses in this collection remains with the author, unless it is stated to have been assigned to the University of Stirling. The University of Stirling reserves the right to keep electronic copies for consultation in both cases.

• 1 Aldridge, F. A.
• 1 Asllani, Gani
• 1 Baker, Stephanie
• 1 Beam, Amanda G.
• 1 Bedborough, Sheena
• 1 Bilsborough, Peter
• 1 Bines, Jeffrey
• 1 Buchanan, Katherine Ann
• 1 Cairney, Paul
• 1 Chittick, Sharla
• 16 Scotland
• 8 Evangelicalism
• 5 American Revolution
• 5 Environmental History
• 3 Calvinism
• 3 Devolution
• 3 Edinburgh
• 3 First World War
• 14 2020 - 2023
• 53 2010 - 2019
• 27 2000 - 2009
• 12 1990 - 1999
• 5 1980 - 1989
• 2 1973 - 1979

• Schools & departments

Politics PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Politics

Introduction to Postgraduate Study at the University of Edinburgh

Join us online on 25 September to learn more about Scotland, the city of Edinburgh and postgraduate study at the University.

Find out more and register

Research profile

Approximately 60 members of PIR academic staff enjoy international reputations for their research and have won numerous teaching, research and advising awards. Their scholarship covers a diverse range of research areas on Scotland, Europe, and the world, and is published in highly-rated journals and books.

The department has a strong tradition of advising, informing and debating policy with key decision-makers at Scottish, UK, European and international levels, and has a notable concentration of political theorists.

Research in Politics and International Relations explores the theory, practice and ethics of politics and governance.

We cover a broad area of expertise, from local policy to global governance, political theory to empirical studies, constructivism to rational choice approaches.

Our Politics & International Relations group has close links with cross-disciplinary and internationally recognised research centres.

Major research focuses include:

• sub-state and supranational dimensions of politics and public policy
• the impact of devolution in the UK and elsewhere, and the constitution and governance of the European Union
• international politics: changing relations, the new security agenda, transatlantic relations, political economy, migration politics and global governance
• nationalism, democratic transition, civil society and institution-building
• health, welfare, environment, competition, migrations and citizenship, and equal opportunities policies
• political theory, especially war ethics, environmental ethics and theories of freedom

Programme structure

The degree is based on three to four years of full-time research. Each student follows an individual training programme designed with their supervisor and the Postgraduate Adviser. This programme is reviewed and updated on an annual basis.

In the first year, you will acquire a wide range of research skills and formulate their research question and related design, under the guidance of their supervisors. At the end of their course of study you will submit a thesis and will be assessed in an oral examination (viva voce) by two examiners (usually one internal to the University, the other external).

The thesis is a long piece of research on a topic of your particular interest and makes an original contribution to the field of politics and international relations.

Training and support

You will follow a programme of research training, drawn from the MSc by Research courses coordinated by the School of Social and Political Science and Politics and International Relations-specific training.

The programme equips you with professional training to a high standard. After graduating you can expect to be a strong candidate for careers in a wide variety of contexts, including academia, the media, the private sector and a diverse array of public services. Nearly everyone needs good researchers!

Politics and International Relations helps you gain a range of transferable skills above and beyond those required by their specific projects, such as:

• organising seminars and conferences
• learning how to apply for research jobs in and out of academia
• learning how to deliver professional seminar presentations

Postgraduate researchers also have access to the University and College-wide programme of training in transferable skills and other aspects of professional development, such as specialist careers advice.

Research library and archive facilities in Edinburgh are outstanding.

You will be a member of the Graduate School of Social & Political Science, with full access to the Graduate School’s facilities in the Chrystal Macmillan Building.

Other library and archive facilities include the University’s Main Library, the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish Records Office. Proximity to the Scottish Parliament and other institutions of national government provides further research opportunities.

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent, and a UK masters degree with an overall mark of 65% or its international equivalent.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Application fee.

This programme requires a non-refundable application fee.

Your application will not be processed until we have received your application fee.

• Application fee information

Living costs

You will be responsible for covering living costs for the duration of your studies.

Tuition fees

Scholarships and funding, featured funding.

School of Social and Political Science Scholarships

UK Research Council Awards

For specialised guidance on submitting a competitive scholarship application, please follow the requirements and recommendations and how to contact relevant academic staff as advised here:

• Important information and recommendations

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Postgraduate Admissions Team
• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
• Contact: [email protected]
• Programme Advisor, Dr Sarah Liu
• Contact: [email protected]
• Graduate School of Social & Political Science
• Chrystal Macmillan Building
• 15A George Square
• Central Campus
• Programme: Politics
• School: Social & Political Science
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This programme is not currently accepting applications. Applications for the next intake usually open in October.

Start date: September

Awards: PhD (36 mth FT, 72 mth PT)

Application deadlines

We encourage you to apply at least one month prior to entry so that we have enough time to process your application. If you are also applying for funding or will require a visa then we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible.

• How to apply

You must submit a research proposal demonstrating your knowledge of your field of research, which will be closely scrutinised as part of the decision-making process. We request that PhD research proposals are no more than four A4 typed pages in Times New Roman, 12pt font. This includes charts and figures but does not include references or a bibliography.

We require PhD applicants in particular to contact potential supervisors before applying to discuss their research proposal so we can ensure there is adequate supervision.

A non-refundable application fee of £50 must be paid after you submit your application. Your application will not be processed until we have received your application fee.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes: