King's College London

Peter John, professor of public policy, will take on the role in July following the retirement of current incumbent, Professor Jeremy Jennings.

The School of Politics and Economics is home to the Department of Political Economy, the Department of European and International Studies, the Russia Institute, and the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies.

Prof John said: “I am pleased to be taking on this role and look forward to building on the excellent work staff and students are doing. I would like to pay tribute to Professor Jennings for his efforts in overseeing the formation and expansion of the school, shaping its growth into a world-class centre for learning and research.”

Prof John joined King’s College in 2018 from University College London, where he worked as professor of political science and public policy from 2011 – 2017. Prof John has also held positions at the University of Manchester, Birkbeck University of London, the University of Southampton and the University of Keele.
He holds a BSc in economics and politics from the University of Bath, and an M. Phil and D. Phil in politics from Nuffield College at the University of Oxford.

Professor John is known for his work on public policy, agenda setting, behavioural interventions and randomised controlled trials. In his book Analysing Public Policy (2012), he presents the main theories of public policy and the policy process. Also, his book Policy Agendas in British Politics (Palgrave, 2013), co-authored with Anthony Bertelli, recounts empirical research which he has conducted to investigate why governments focus on certain policies.

Prof John serves as an academic advisor to the Behavioural Insights Team, a social purpose organisation that generates and applies behavioural insights to inform policy and improve public services.

He is involved in many projects that seek to test behavioural insights in situations such as the redesign of tax reminders and channel shifts. Prof John also co-edits the Journal of Public Policy.