Carys Hughes

Dr. Carys Hughes is a Research Fellow at the University of East London’s School of Arts and Creative Industries, Department of Music, Writing & Performance. Her work bridges political theory, law, and governance studies, focusing on participatory democracy and institutional design.

• PhD in Politics and International Relations, Keele University (2017)
• MA in Communication for Development, University of Malmo (2011)
• BA in Philosophy, University of Leeds (2003)

Her research explores how laws and institutions shape societal behavior and the interplay between state power and citizen agency. Current work, funded by a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, investigates designing state systems to foster collective agency through frameworks like Community Wealth Building.

Key publications address topics such as ‘a-legality’ as a political-legal strategy, new Latin American constitutionalism, and left governmentality for radical-democratic governance. Her policy collaborations with local authorities demonstrate practical applications of these theories.

• 2021: Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (£118,000)
• 2019: ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (£92,541.14)
• 2012: Santander Postgraduate Scholarship (£5,000)

She is affiliated with the Centre for Cultural Studies and Centre for Social Change and Justice, integrating interdisciplinary perspectives into her work on institutional transformation and citizen empowerment.