Dr Owen Parker

BSc, MSc, MA, PhD, SFHEA

Department of Politics and International Relations

Senior Lecturer in European Politics

Deputy Director of Education

Profile image for academic staff member Owen Parker
Profile picture of Profile image for academic staff member Owen Parker
o.parker@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 1695

Full contact details

Dr Owen Parker
Department of Politics and International Relations
Modular Teaching Village
Northumberland Road
Sheffield
S10 1AJ
Profile

Dr Owen Parker joined the Department as Lecturer in European Politics in April 2012 and became Senior Lecturer in 2015.

Owen’s research and teaching is focused on the politics and political economy of the European Union. Recent research focuses on: the politics and governance of EU citizenship and the free movement of people in the EU; EU citizens in the UK before and after Brexit; the contemporary political left and the EU; and Brexit.

Owen’s academic interests dovetail with his prior professional experience. He worked from 2003-2006 as 'International Relations Officer' at the European Commission (Directorate General for Enlargement, Turkey Unit) on the assessment of Turkey's fulfilment of the EU's Copenhagen political criteria (relating to human rights, democracy, rule of law, minority rights).

Owen has held several leadership roles in the department, including Director of Undergraduate Studies, Director of Employability, and Director of Postgraduate Taught Studies. He is currently Deputy Director of Education: Student Conduct, Integrity and Appeals and will (from academic year 2023/24) be the department's Director of Education.

Qualifications

Owen was awarded a PhD in Politics and International Studies from Warwick in September 2010 (ESRC funded), holds Masters degrees from Warwick (Politics, International Political Economy track, 2007) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (International Relations, 2002), and a BSc from Bath (Politics and Economics, 2000).

Research interests

Broad interests include: 

  •  normative (political theory) and critical approaches to the European Union
  •  comparative European political economy
  •  EU economic governance 
  •  the politics and political economy of Brexit
  •  progressive (left) politics and the European Union

  
Narrow interests include: 

  •  the politics and governance of EU citizenship and the free movement of people 
  •  Brexit and the British left 
  •  investor citizenship in Europe 
  •  EU citizens in Brexit Britain
  •  Roma EU citizens
Publications

Books

  • Bulmer S, Parker O, Bache I, George S & Burns C (2020) Politics in the European Union 5th edition. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Parker O (2012) Cosmopolitan Government in Europe. Routledge. RIS download Bibtex download

Journal articles

Chapters

Research group

Owen has been an active participant in, among others, the Political Economy Research Group (PERG); the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI); and the Migration Research Group (MRG).

Grants

Awarding Body: European Commission 
Title of Research: Jean Monnet New European Borderlands Network
Duration: 2019-2022
Total Award to UoS: approx. £80,000

Awarding Body: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Title of Research: EU Citizenship and Free Movement White Rose Network (network lead)
Duration: September 2016-2019
Total Award to UoS: approx. £60,000

Awarding Body: Leverhulme Trust (Research Fellowship)
Title of Research: Citizenship for Sale: Immigrant Investor Programmes in Crisis EU?
Duration: September 2014-2015
Total Award: £45,000

Awarding Body: Leverhulme Trust (Early Career Fellowship)
Title of Research: Roma Resistance in the EU: Beyond Cosmopolitan Government?
Duration: October 2011-2013
Total Award to UoS: approx. £55,000

Awarding Body: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) PhD 1+3 award
Duration: 2007-2010
Total Award to UoS: approx. £70,000

Teaching interests

Owen is co-author a leading Oxford University Press textbook on EU politics, Politics in the European Union and has published on teaching the EU in the Journal of Common Market Studies and in 2016 was invited to deliver the University Association of Contemporary European Studies (UACES) keynote lecture at the Political Studies Association (PSA) teaching conference.  

Owen is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and a University assessor for HEA awards. 

He has been an external examiner at Kings College London and the University of Durham.

Teaching activities

Owen teaches and leads the undergraduate modules POL206, The Politics and Government of the EU, and POL3109, Britain and the EU. The first of these considers the history of European integration and key theories for explaining integration before turning to consider contemporary issues such as the Eurozone crisis, the migration crisis, the democratic deficit, Brexit and possible dis-integration. The second considers the UK’s historically difficult relationship with the EU, with a significant portion of the module focused, of course, on contemporary issues pertaining to Brexit.

Owen has previously taught the MA modules POL6001, Europeanisation and POL6607, Approaches to Political Economy.

Professional activities and memberships

Owen is or has been a member of several professional associatons, including the Political Studies Association (PSA), British International Studies Association (BISA), International Studies Association (ISA), University Association of Contemporary European Studies (UACES) and the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). 

Owen is a former co-convenor of BISA's International Political Economy Group (IPEG) and a co-organiser of various events under its auspices.

Owen has engaged and worked with a range of governmental and non-governmental organisations in the context of his various research projects.

PhD Supervision

Owen has supervised several PhD students to successful completion, including students who have been awarded or nominated for academic prizes. Many of his former doctoral students are now successful in academic and non-academic jobs. He has acted as an external and internal PhD examiner on a number of ocassions. He is potentially interested in supervising PhD projects that align with the research interests highlighted above.