I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Milan, working on the Volkswagen Stiftung-funded ProDem project. I recently defended my PhD thesis at the European University Institute in the Department of Political and Social Sciences.

My research interests are in comparative politics – particularly regarding populist and radical parties. My PhD enquired into populist radical right parties in local power in Western Europe. In my current postdoc position, I am broadening my focus towards the interaction of new political parties with social movements (so-called ‘movement parties’) and their impact on democratic quality.

Previously I graduated from the 4 Cities Erasmus Mundus Urban Studies MSc with summa cum laude (greatest distinction), having studied at universities in Brussels, Vienna, Copenhagen and Madrid. Prior to that I did a History BA at King’s College London. In between the two I was a project manager at an educational charity in London.

I am also a freelance writer and have been published on sites including City Lab, City Metric, The Proto City and the LSE Europp Blog. Get in touch to commission something.

Follow me on Twitter here: @fredpaxton

Find my research here: ResearchGate | Google Scholar

Download my CV here