Patrick McGovern

Patrick McGovern is an Associate Professor (Reader) in the Department of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He is the co-founder and Director of the MSc International Migration and Public Policy program. His work bridges the sociology of work, employment relations, and international migration, with a strong focus on social inequality and policy analysis.

• Doctorate, Oxford University
• BSc (First Class), Sociology, University College Dublin
• MSc (First Class), Industrial Relations, University College Dublin

McGovern specializes in the sociology of work, economic sociology, and international migration. His research critically examines labor market stratification, immigration policy, and the media’s role in shaping discourse on inequality. He is particularly interested in theoretical and methodological issues within qualitative workplace research, and in comparative analyses of employment and migration systems.

His recent publications reveal a consistent focus on income inequality, media framing, immigration policy measurement (notably through the IMPALA Project), and the evolution of employment relations. These works span top journals in sociology and industrial relations, reflecting a strong interdisciplinary orientation centered on labor, migration, and inequality.

McGovern has served on the editorial boards of leading journals including the British Journal of Industrial Relations, The British Journal of Sociology, and Work, Employment & Society.

He teaches courses on Work, Inequality and Society, International Migration and Migrant Integration, and Researching Migration. He is a member of LSE’s Economic Sociology research cluster and conducts research funded by the International Inequalities Institute. His current projects include analyzing immigration policies across OECD countries and studying media representations of income inequality.