Robert Thomson

Robert Thomson is Professor of Political Science in the School of Social Sciences. He joined Monash in 2017, having previously held positions in the Netherlands (at the Universities of Groningen and Utrecht), Ireland (at Trinity College Dublin) and the United Kingdom (at the University of Strathclyde).

His research focuses on two broad areas of politics: international comparisons of democratic representation, and international governance. Robert and his colleagues are examining the conditions under which politicians keep and break the promises they make to voters when they enter government office. He also has ongoing research on the European Union and on international cooperation in climate change policy. He is author of Resolving Controversy in the European Union (Cambridge University Press), and a series of articles and book chapters on national, EU, and international politics.

Professor Thomson welcomes inquiries from prospective doctoral students. He advises doctoral students in a range of areas including: democratic representation; national and international governance; and public policy. While all inquiries in these areas are welcome, there are two specific opportunities for prospective doctoral students:

1. The governance of sustainable energy access. See: https://www.monash.edu/memsi/initiatives/sustainable-energy-access
2. Election campaign promises in Australia. This is a unique opportunity to become part of the world’s largest comparative research program on campaign promises.