The Department of Political Economy supports and promotes diversity and inclusion. We foster an inclusive environment in which staff and students are treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to ensuring that all students and staff are treated equitably and are not accorded less favourable treatment because of age, marital/civil partnership status, sex, disability, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, family circumstances, religious or political beliefs and transgender status. We are also committed to enhancing the work-life balance of all staff in relation to caring responsibilities and other issues affecting well-being. We want our students to be part of an inclusive, welcoming and supportive campus community.
Our team
The Department of Political Economy’s EDI Lead is Dr Teresa Esteban-Casanelles and the committee includes:
- Dr Francesca Vantaggiato
- Dr Nina Obermeier
- Dr Mona Morgan-Collins
- Dr Jonathan Leader Maynard
- Dr Barbara Piotrowska
- Dr Poornima Paidipaty
- Dr Yonatan Berman
Our priorities
- Support staff on family-friendly leave.
- Develop and implement robust policies and practices in DPE to best facilitate EDI agenda in staff promotion.
- Improve recruitment practices where possible to include diversity.
- Work with staff and sudents to facilitate diversification of reading lists, in line with ongoing King's initiatives.
What we are working on - current initiatives
Guidelines for implementation of parental leave in DPE
In 2024, the EDI committee developed a proposal for a one-term research leave for staff returning from family-friendly leaves. The proposal has been escalated to the School of Politics and Economics, which approved its implementation at the school level. This policy has now been accepted as School-wide and extends to anyone who takes maternity leave, shared parental leave or career break for caring responsibilities. See policy here.
Parental study leave
In 2024, the EDI committee developed a proposal for a one-term research leave for staff returning from family-friendly leaves. The proposal has been escalated to the School of Politics and Economics, which approved its implementation at the school level. This policy now extends to anyone who takes maternity leave, shared parental leave or career break for caring responsibilities. Full details here.
Diversification of reading lists
In 2024-2025, the MAPE (Master's of Political Economy) programme has run a pilot initiative that aimed to diversify reding lists on the programme, in line with the university's ongoing efforts. The initiative was funded by the King's Academy and lead by MAPE director Dr Mona Morgan-Collins. The initiative gave MAPE students and staff the space to reflect on various aspects of diversity in reading lists, focusing on both authorship and content. Five winners of the 2025 Reading List Diversity Award were be announced in the summer of 2025. Congratulations.
Staff culture survey
In 2025-2026, we are running a second wave of a Staff Culture Survey, which aims to map perceptions on equality, diversity and inclusion in DPE, such as with regards to promotion, workload, decision-making and safety. This survey will inform the EDI committee's agenda for this academic year. The previous (and first) survey was run in 2023 [see results here] and has informed a number of new policies in DPE, such as publishing centrally held list of PhD supervision interests and availability. See here.