Professor Kate Dommett
Department of Politics and International Relations
Senior Lecturer
+44 114 222 1682
Full contact details
Department of Politics and International Relations
211
Elmfield Building
Northumberland Road
Sheffield
S10 2TU
- Profile
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I am Professor of Digital Politics in the Department and my research focuses on digital technology and democratic politics, with a particular focus on data use, election campaigns and regulation. I am interested in how politics is being changed by the uptake of digital technology, and how democratic institutions are adapting to use online affordances. My recent research has looked at the use of personal data for political campaigning, political advertising, and the regulation of digital politics. My previous work looked at political parties and how they are viewed by the public.
My research and teaching is driven by a desire to solve real world problems, using academic insights to inform policy development and practices around the uptake of digital tools. I have previously been a Special Advisor to the House of Lords Select Committee on Democracy and Digital Technology and am currently a member of the DCMS College of Experts. I also have experience working with the media and have had my research featured on BBC Radio 4, BBC News at 10, BBC Radio 5Live, France 24 and elsewhere.
- Research interests
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My research looks at the relationship between citizens and the state in contemporary democracies, particularly looking at how this is affected by digital technology. I have a long standing interest in political parties and campaigning. At the moment I'm looking at the way that digital technology is being used in elections and by democratic organisations, asking questions including:
- How is digital technology being used in elections?
- What democratic goals should inform the use and regulation of digital technology? And how is the ‘problem’ technology poses for democracy currently understood by different audiences?
- How should digital campaigning be regulated? And what actions should the government, companies, individuals and campaigners take?
- What does good digital citizenship look like, and how can it be advanced?
Find out more about my research on digital technology.
Key projects
- 2020 - 2023: 'Data-driven campaigns: intended and unintended consequences for democracy [DATADRIVEN]’, Norface 'Democratic Governance in a Turbulent Age', €1,06 million Euro.
- 2020 - 2023: 'Understanding Online Political Advertising: Perceptions, Uses and Regulation', Leverhulme Foundation Project Grant, £390,215.
- 2016 'Renewing Party Politics? Digital Innovations in Political Campaigning', ESRC Future Leaders, £185,372
- 2017 'The Challenge of Party Membership', ESRC Impact Accelerator Funding, £21,710
- 2018 'The Challenges of Studying Political Campaigning in the Digital Realm', British Academy Rising Stars, £13,201.97
- Publications
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Journal articles
- The business of elections: transparency and UK election spending. Political Insight, 13(3), 12-15.
- The barriers to regulating the online world: insights from UK debates on online political advertising. Policy and Internet.
- Data-driven campaigning and democratic disruption : evidence from six advanced democracies. Party Politics.
- Advocating for platform data access : challenges and opportunities for academics seeking policy change. Politics and Governance, 10(1), 220-229.
- The capricious relationship between technology and democracy: analyzing public policy discussions in the UK and US. Policy & Internet. View this article in WRRO
- The inter-institutional impact of digital platform companies on democracy : a case study of the UK media’s digital campaigning coverage. New Media & Society.
Chapters
- Studying Digital Parties: Methods, Challenges and Responses, Digital Parties (pp. 67-83).
- The business of elections: transparency and UK election spending. Political Insight, 13(3), 12-15.