Dr. Paul Tobin is a Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Manchester, specialising in environmental, European, and comparative politics, and public policy. He is currently the PhD Director for the Politics Department, and the Convenor of the Environmental Politics Group.

Paul’s research has examined a variety of interconnected topics, such as:

The role of ‘climate intermediaries’ in policymaking (Open Access Introduction to a Special Issue of eight articles)

Explaining variations in states’ climate policies (Open Access)

EU environmental policy following the Global Financial Crisis (Open Access)

EU member states’ climate strategies in the aviation sector (Open Access)

EU policy termination across all policy areas since 1971 (Open Access)

For the full list of his publications, see ‘Research output’ below.

Paul has co-edited two books; the first entitled The Impact of the Economic Crisis on European Environmental Policy, and the second, Climate Governance Across the Globe: Pioneers, Leaders and Followers. His third book, on politicisation in climate governance, is under contract with Cambridge University Press.

Since 1st January 2020, Paul has been leading a £300,000 ESRC New Investigator project entitled 'Polycentric pioneers? Explaining variations in governance models and their impacts on local climate change policy'. The project involves multi-level and multi-actor analysis of climate policy in Western Europe.

Paul believes in a close link between research and teaching. He is a Senior Fellow of the HEA/Advance HE, and has won several teaching prizes, including 'The Best Humanities Lecturer' and 'The Most Inspiring Lecturer' at Manchester, awarded by the University of Manchester Students' Union. 

Currently, Paul is an Editor of Manchester University's Press European Politics Series - do email him if you are considering submitting a book proposal to the series. Outside Manchester, Paul has been the Honorary Secretary of the Political Studies Association, as well as a member of its Senior Leadership Team and Executive Committee.

During 2022-2023, Paul is Visiting Scholar at Stockholm University, Sweden. Previously, Paul has been a Visiting Research Fellow at Heidelberg University in Germany, Lund University in Sweden, and at the Institute for European Studies at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium.

PhD Supervision

Paul is currently co-supervising Joshua Barrit's PhD on political ecology, marine conservation and public policy with Dr. Carl Death.

He would be interested in supervising potential Ph.D. students in the following areas:

• European and EU politics
• Comparative politics
• Environmental politics
• Public policy
• Python programming language as a tool in Social Science

Paul has been proud to win a number of prizes during his career, including:

2022 Best 'University of Manchester HNAP' Workshop, for my session to new academics on engaging teaching

2021 Journal of European Public Policy 'Best Paper 2020' with Charlotte Burns and Peter Eckersley

2021 Faculty of Humanities 'Outstanding Teaching Award'

2018 ‘Best Paper in the INOGOV Action 2014-2018’, plus €2,000 for permanent Gold Open Access;

2018 'Special Commendation- INOGOV Best Paper Prize 2018’;

2017 The University of Manchester Students' Union 'Most Inspiring Lecturer Prize';

2017 The University of Manchester Students' Union 'Best Humanities Lecturer Prize';

2016 The UACES 'Best PhD Thesis Prize';

2016 The PSA 'Specialist Group of the Year';

2015 The BISA-Higher Education Academy 'Post-Graduate Who Teaches of the Year';

2014 The York University Students' Union 'Post-Graduate Who Teaches of the Year';

2014 The University of York 'Politics Department Teaching Prize'.