David Bailey

Dr David Bailey is an Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Birmingham, affiliated with the Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS) within the School of Government. His work focuses on the critical political economy of contemporary capitalism, with particular emphasis on protest movements, social resistance, and left-leaning political agency.

Dr Bailey's educational background includes a PhD in Political Science from London and an MA in European Political and Economic Integration from Durham. His academic journey has positioned him as a leading scholar in critical political economy approaches to understanding resistance against neoliberalism.

His research interests span comparative and critical political economy, examining how capitalism interacts with protest, dissent, social movements, collective action, and left parties. Dr Bailey explores how these dynamics impact political institutions and broader societal trends, particularly in the context of austerity and neoliberal governance. His work often takes a broadly Marxist perspective while engaging with contemporary challenges like climate activism, worker-led dissent, and resistance to AI-driven technological determinism.

Dr Bailey's publication record reveals a consistent focus on resistance to neoliberalism across multiple domains - environmental politics, labor movements, social policy, and European integration. His work demonstrates how seemingly disparate forms of resistance connect to form broader challenges to dominant economic and political paradigms, with increasing attention to post-pandemic and digital age challenges.

Dr Bailey serves in significant editorial roles that reflect his scholarly standing:

• Reviews editor for Capital and Class
• Member of the Executive Board of the Critical Political Economy Research Network (CPERN) of the European Sociological Association
• Convenor of the CSE/Capital and Class Midlands
• Member of the editorial board of Global Political Economy

Dr Bailey actively supervises PhD and Master's students working on social movements, protest movements, left parties, and the critical political economy of contemporary capitalism. His research has been supported through various academic collaborations and publications that examine resistance to austerity and neoliberal governance across different national contexts.

He is closely associated with several research groups at the University of Birmingham, particularly the Political Economy research group, European Studies research group, and Parties, Voters and Elections research group, contributing to a vibrant interdisciplinary research environment focused on critical approaches to political economy.