معرفی
Joseph Lacey is Associate Professor of Political Theory at the School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin. He serves as Founding Director of the Centre for Democracy Research, an interdisciplinary center bringing together democracy scholars from across the College of Social Sciences and Law. From 2023-2028, he is Principal Investigator of the ERC Starting Grant project ELECT, which studies social norms and normative attitudes in election campaigns across Germany, Italy, the UK, and US.
Lacey earned his PhD from the European University Institute's Department of Political and Social Sciences, with part of his qualification undertaken at Princeton University's Department of Politics under a Fulbright Schuman Award. Previously, he held a Junior Research Fellowship in Politics at University College, Oxford.
His research focuses on democratic theory, European Union politics, election campaigns, and political representation. He has made significant contributions to understanding multilingual democracy, drawing comparisons between Switzerland and the EU, and examining the role of direct democratic mechanisms in modern political systems. His work often addresses the tension between national democratic sovereignty and European integration.
Analysis of his recent publications reveals a sustained focus on democratic legitimacy within the European context, with particular attention to electoral systems, representation deficits, and institutional design solutions to democratic challenges. His scholarship demonstrates an interdisciplinary approach combining normative political theory with empirical comparative analysis.
- 2018 Brian Farrell Prize for best book published in the previous year
- Fulbright Schuman Award
Lacey actively supervises PhD students and coordinates multiple teaching modules including Contemporary Election Campaign, Dem. Elections and Campaigns, and Political Theory and the EU. As Founding Director of the Centre for Democracy Research, he leads an interdisciplinary initiative examining democratic challenges and innovations across different political contexts.
