Dr. Claudia Coveney

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, was published with Emerald Publishing in October 2024.

Research interests

My research focuses on the possibilities of disability equality, particularly via civil society. My monograph (Collective Action and Civil Society, Emerald, 2024) offers a theoretical intervention into how formal civil society spaces function as sites for policy influence in EU decision-making. I extended this work through empirical analysis of the European Disability Forum’s (EDF) role in shaping EU policy (Actors and Roles in EU Disability Law, Hart Publishing, 2025).

I have also contributed to broader understandings of collective mobilisation. My chapter in DeGruyter’s Handbook on Youth Activism explores disabled young people’s experiences of participating in social movements – both disabled people’s movements and wider mobilisations. I have examined the international disability movement’s responses to COVID-19, exploring how advocacy was enacted in both 'invited' and 'invented' policy spaces (Social Inclusion, 2025). My work with Dr. Jessica Martin (forthcoming) expands the scope of collective action studies by analysing online ‘snark’ forums as emergent sites of social grievance and resistance.

I translated my doctoral findings into an advocacy toolkit for EDF (Disability Advocacy Research in Europe, 2023), which was disseminated to 100+ civil society organisations across Europe. This resource supports DPOs to develop advocacy strategies and navigate the complexities of EU-level policymaking. I contributed to the European Commission’s 2023 European Day of Persons with Disabilities, presenting findings from a Marie Curie ITN project on the accessibility of research processes and the importance of co-production with DPOs. I have demonstrated leadership through my contributions to accessible education, including designing a postgraduate module (Realising Disability Equality through Policy) for the MSc Disability Studies, Rights & Inclusion. The module features interviews with activists, human rights lawyers, and CRPD committee members and adopts a rights-based approach to governance and policy. I regularly contribute to widening participation in academia, as the School Academic Lead for Inclusive Pedagogies. I aim to further research on how marginalised communities leverage both formal and informal structures of power to effect change. Future work will continue to bridge research with practice, enhancing policy impact and co-creation with DPOs and other advocacy groups.

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

I am a member of the WHO Disability Health Equity Network with Associate Professor Amy Russell on behalf of the Centre for Disability Studies and an executive member of the Centre for Disability Studies.

<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>

• EQUITY MS

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>The school welcomes enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>