1. Faculty of Social Sciences
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Dr. Claudia Coveney

Dr. Claudia Coveney

  • Position: Lecturer
  • Areas of expertise: Collective action and civil society; EU disability politics; social movements; decision-making in the hollow state; network governance
  • Email: C.H.Coveney@leeds.ac.uk
  • Website: | Twitter | ORCID

Profile

I completed my undergraduate studies at University of Adelaide. Within these two degrees, I was able to complete an intensive study unit at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Turkey, and spend a year studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. It was in this time that I realised my interest in the breadth of contemporary governance styles that can be seen today across the globe. This led me to a Masters in Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam, specialising in the study of policy networks and the changing nature of public decision-making. As ‘traditional’ government structures break down or fade into the background, new actors are participating in these processes – my primary interests lie in the consequences of these changes, and the opportunities they bring for civil society groups like social movements.

In 2023 I completed my PhD. The project looked at the opportunities that emerge for social movement organisations as institutions of governance turn towards ‘co-production’ and networks of decision-making. Specifically I worked with an EU-wide disabled people’s organisation (DPO) called the European Disability Forum. Looking at their strategies to achieve influence in EU decision-making over the past 25 years revealed changing expectations and ‘rules of the game’ for civil society and EU institutions of governance over this time. Part of the findings from this research formed a collective action framework which I am continuing to develop. 

My book, Collective action and civil society: Disability advocacy and EU decision-making, is coming out with Emerald Publishing in October 2024.

Research interests

My PhD was part of the Marie Curie-funded DARE (Disability Advocacy Research in Europe) project.

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked on, will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>