Samuel A. T. Johnston

I am currently an ERC Fellow in Politics working on the Moral Agency in Election Campaigns (ELECT) project at University College Dublin, having completed my PhD in Trinity College Dublin in 2022. My research revolves around two main interests: competition between political parties; and the EU's effect on political parties. In the first vein, I have published on competition between green and radical right parties, as well as the effect of low information on campaign strategies. In the second vein, my PhD thesis focused on how the EU influences the different forms of nationalism utilised by political parties. Contrary to the common understanding of the EU's role, my thesis suggested that, rather than a backlash to EU integration resulting in forms of nationalism related to the central state (e.g., anti-immigration or anti-ethnic minority rhetoric, or kin-state appeals focused on ethnic kin or territory in neighbouring countries) becoming more salient in party communication, the EU instead discourages these forms of nationalism and incentivises parties to focus on other forms of identity, especially at the sub-national level. In addition to these main research agenda, I also research and publish on Ireland, the UK, and the EU.

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This research has been published in a variety of academic journals, including West European Politics, Party Politics, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, and Irish Political Studies. In addition, my PhD thesis was funded by the Irish Research Council. 

My teaching experience strongly reflects this research agenda, as I have taught both undergraduate and Masters modules on the EU, Irish and Northern Irish politics, and party politics.