معرفی
Christopher Pepin-Neff (they/them) is an Associate Professor in Public Policy and Deputy Head of School Research in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Sydney. They are affiliated with multiple research centers including the Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies, Sydney Environment Institute, and Sydney Policy Lab, reflecting their interdisciplinary approach to policy studies.
With 18 years of professional experience in Washington, D.C. as a lobbyist, consultant, Senate aide, non-profit executive, and presidential campaign aide, Pepin-Neff brings practical policy insights to their academic work. Their research focuses on the role of emotions in the policy process, examining how policies are used by incumbent actors to maintain power and avoid penalties during emotionally charged issues.
Key research areas include policy process and agenda setting, with particular attention to the structural power dynamics that place issues on political agendas through emotional responses; policy advocacy with a focus on intersectional lobbying for marginalized groups including LGBTQ+ communities, people living with disabilities, and those experiencing poverty; and critical examinations of inequality in policymaking processes.
Their recent publications reveal a consistent focus on how emotional responses shape policy outcomes across diverse issue areas. A significant theme explores the 'politics of shark attacks' and human-shark interactions, while another major strand examines LGBTQ+ rights, particularly transgender issues and moral panics. Their work also addresses the impact of crises like the COVID-19 pandemic on marginalized communities and social capital.
- 2019 Sam Richardson Award for 'Funny Evidence: Female Comics are the New Policy Entrepreneurs'
- 2013 High Commendation for 'Locating Affect within a Policy Response Framework'
Pepin-Neff supervises graduate students and teaches courses including Emotions and Public Policy, Policymaking Power and Politics, and Issues in Public Policy. They actively contribute to professional associations including the American Political Science Association, Australian Political Studies Association (where they serve as Inaugural Convener of the LGBTIQA+ Caucus), and several international political science organizations.
