Professor Mark Pennington

Academics

Head of the Department of Political Economy & Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy

Contact details

Biography

Mark Pennington has been Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy in the Department of Political Economy since January 2012 and is now Head of Department. Prior to joining King’s he taught for 12 years in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary College, University of London. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Mark works at the intersection of politics, philosophy and economics.

Research

His core interest lies in exploring problems of bounded rationality and incentive compatibility as these relate to ideal and non-ideal theorising in economics and political philosophy- an interest exemplified in his 2011 book Robust Political Economy.This work examines challenges to market liberal theory derived from neo-classical economics, communitarian political theory and egalitarian ethical theory, applying the lessons learned in policy debates on the welfare state, international development, and environmental protection.

Mark has written most recently on the relationship between educational markets and citizenship, and the political economy of 'noxious markets'. His current research interests are focused on the concept of self-governance in the writings of Vincent and Elinor Ostrom and he is planning a new book project on the ethics of environmental markets.