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The LSE ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership is pleased to offer the following Collaborative Studentship, commencing in September 2025:
Project Title: Supporting UK Parents to Engage in Democratic Processes on Climate Issues
Collaborative Partner: Hope for the Future
LSE Department: Department of Government
Lead Supervisor: Professor Paul Apostolidis
The project focusses on how UK parents can best be supported to engage in democratic processes with the aim of encouraging public action in response to climate change. The research principally involves examining and assessing a new charity-led parent-support programme for Yorkshire region parents in deprived communities and parents of disabled children, supplemented by a nationwide online parent-support protocol.
Hope For The Future (HFTF) is a climate action charity that trains UK citizens to participate in democratic processes and engage elected officials in discussions of climate-related issues. The organisation does not advocate for a specific policy agenda but rather seeks to equip individuals to exercise citizenship more effectively by using existing channels of democratic government. HFTF has been awarded a £1 million National Lottery grant under the ‘Shared Futures’ scheme to run a 5-year programme (1/25-12/29) that will support parents’ efforts to communicate with elected representatives about climate issues. The focus will be on parents in deprived communities and parents of disabled children.
HFTF’s parent-support programme will operate in the Yorkshire region and aims to involve 250 parents each year in Yorkshire. HFTF will train 150 of those parents annually through citizen education regarding processes, norms, and institutions of democratic government. The programme will rely on innovative means for stimulating parents’ participation and enthusiasm such as outdoor theatre activities, related assemblies and workshops, and other community-forming components. HFTF’s programme also will develop online resources to support democratic climate action by parents across the UK, building on outcomes of the Yorkshire activities and involving an additional 150 parents annually.
The student will be the Data Analyst on the Evaluation Team, for which Professor Apostolidis will be the Lead, with assistance during certain high-intensity periods from MSc-level student researchers.
The Studentship will incorporate further research components as needed to address broader, related academic questions concerning the role of family commitments in motivating climate action, the benefits for generating climate action of addressing social inequalities that affect political participation, and/or the value of citizen engagement with liberal-democratic institutions for improving climate policy.
Length of studentship: The studentship will commence in September 2025, with a minimum duration of 4 years. The award length offered may differ depending on the successful candidate’s experience and training requirements.
Canddiate Requirements: Candidates must have already completed a MSc in a related subject (e.g., Political Science, Political Theory, Sociology, Public Policy), and it is desirable that candidates have experience conducting survey research and performing quantitative analyses of the data gained through study or working experience.
Deadline for applications: 15 January 2025
For further information and how to apply please visit the LSE website.