Dr James Downes
About
Dr. James F. Downes is a Research Fellow at the Global Europe Centre. Dr. Downes is a Lecturer in Comparative Politics and Global Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (SAR, China) and Head (Chair) of Undergraduate Admissions in the Department of Government and Public Administration. He teaches courses related to Comparative European and Asian Politics. Dr. Downes is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right and an Associate Fellow at the Center for Research & Social Progress (Italy). He is also a Co-Director of the International Affairs Research Centre at the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies and a Council Member at the Hong Kong Political Science Association.
Dr. Downes is an expert in Comparative European Politics, with a specific focus on Populism, Nationalism and Right-Wing Party Competition in Western Europe and Central-Eastern Europe. Dr. Downes provides frequent media commentary to international news outlets such as CNBC, CNN and South China Morning Post on issues relating to Brexit and European Union Politics. His recent work has appeared in outlets such as Electoral Studies, Routledge Contemporary China Series, ibidem Verlag, the European Union Academic Programme Hong Kong, alongside openDemocracy, Democratic Audit, Social Europe and LSE EUROPP.
He also has articles relating to Populism currently under review in the Journal of Contemporary European Studies and the Journal of Common Market Studies. Currently, Dr. Downes is writing a co-authored book manuscript titled: “Beyond the Radical Right? Centre Right Party Electoral Success on Immigration in Europe” (under review at Manchester University Press). His future research seeks to examine EU-China relations, particularly in the context of the One Belt One Road Initiative and the Decline of Social Democratic Parties in Europe.
Previously, Dr. Downes completed his Ph.D in Comparative Politics at the University of Kent (2017) and was a Visiting Researcher (2015) in the Brussels School of International Studies. Dr. Downes was also previously a Visiting Scholar on the European Union Academic Programme Hong Kong (2016–2017) and a Tutor at The University of Hong Kong. He studied a B.A. (First Class Honours) and an M.A. in Political Science at the Department of Government at the University of Essex.