Michael Vaughan

Dr. Michael Vaughan is a Research Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute (III) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His work focuses on political communication, digitalisation, and economic inequality. Vaughan holds a PhD from the University of Sydney and conducted postdoctoral research at the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society in Berlin, focusing on far-right digital communication. His research examines how social movements mobilize around economic inequality, the digital strategies of far-right groups, and online political participation.

Key areas of expertise include the communicative dimensions of economic inequality campaigns, far-right digital tactics, and the role of storytelling in advocacy. He is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, highlighting his contributions to innovative research on inequality and political communication. Vaughan’s work bridges traditional political science with contemporary digital sociology, analyzing platforms like online petitions and crowdfunding in political engagement.

His research also addresses visual representations of wealth inequality and the transnational spread of far-right visual culture via memes. He has explored issues such as tax justice, policy influence on far-right movements, and the durability of inequality discourse in public spheres.