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About Alan
Alan Renwick is Professor of Democratic Politics in the UCL Department of Political Science and Deputy Director of the UCL Constitution Unit. He joined UCL in 2015. Prior to this, he was based at the University of Reading from 2008 to 2015, where he served latterly as Reader and Associate Professor of Comparative Politics. Earlier in his career, Renwick held a Departmental Lectureship in Comparative Politics at the University of Oxford from 2005 to 2006 and was a postdoctoral research fellow at New College, Oxford, from 2003 to 2008. He obtained his doctorate in 2004 on processes of institutional design in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland during the transition from communism. His first degree is a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford. Renwick currently teaches the undergraduate module in British Politics at UCL and supervises dissertations at undergraduate, Master's, and PhD levels. From May 2026, he will succeed Professor Meg Russell as Director of the Constitution Unit.
Renwick's research specializations include the mechanisms through which citizens participate in formal politics, with a focus on electoral systems, referendums, and deliberative processes such as citizens’ assemblies. His work is comparative, encompassing the UK, European democracies, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and the United States. Key publications include The Politics of Electoral Reform: Changing the Rules of Democracy (Cambridge University Press, 2010) and Electoral Reform: A Citizen's Guide (Biteback Publishing, 2011). Other notable works are The Future of Democracy in the UK: Public Attitudes and Policy Responses and A Referendum on Irish Unification: Why it Needs Attention (2021). Renwick has provided evidence to UK parliamentary committees on referendums, electoral reform, and House of Lords reform. He has advised policy-makers internationally in Canada, Egypt, Jordan, Hong Kong, and Jersey. He co-hosts the UCL Uncovering Politics podcast and contributes to public discourse on democratic processes. As Deputy Head of Department (Impact and Engagement) in Political Science, he enhances the department's outreach.
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