David Coen

David Coen is Vice Dean International for the Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor of Public Policy at the Department of Political Science / School of Public Policy, and founding Director of the Global Governance Institute at University College London (UCL). Previously he was Head of Department of Political Science at UCL from 2010 to 2018. 

Prior to joining UCL he held appointments at the London Business School and Max Planck Institute in Cologne and he wrote his PhD at the European University Institute, Florence He has held visiting appointments as a Schuman Distinguished Fellowship at the Institute of Advance Studies at the European University Institute, the Fernand Braudel Professorial Fellowship at the Political Science Department EUI, the Fulbright Distinguished Professor Fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and visiting researcher at the Centre for European Studies. He has held grants from Anglo-German Foundation, British Academy, European Union, Nuffield Foundation, and Fulbright Foundation. He has published extensively in public policy and business journals. He has also published the Lobbying the EU (2008), OUP, Handbook on Business and Government (2010), OUP, Handbook on Global Governance II (2018), Routledge, Business Lobbying in the EU (2021), OUP, and Global Climate Governance (2021), CUP Elements.

Professor Coen’s research explores business and government relations. Specifically, the research addresses EU business lobbying strategies and the consequences for EU institutional development. The project considers the formal effects of EU forum politics, the Commission and EP as policy entrepreneurs, revolving doors, and lobbying regulation. Developing on the above a second research theme explores business and Brexit. This new study looks at the voice and representation of business in the lead up to the referendum and during the exit negotiations. The study explores the level of uncertainty in the exit policy across a number of issues and industrial sectors. The study explores how business has made representation at various UK ministries, at the EU, and its voice in the media. A third research theme is on EU regulatory reform, this studies the emergence of EU regulatory agencies and European Regulatory Network governance in the Financial Service, Telecommunications and Energy sectors, and also explores business regulatory shopping strategy in a multilevel regulatory regime. Finally, the forth research theme is exploring climate governance and regulation as part of a large H2020 grant on Global Governance. This project explores Climate Politics, Multi-level Governance, and Public-Private Governance, the role of the EU in Climate Politics, EU climate law and emergence of national independent climate agencies.

Global Policy Special Section

Edited by the GGI directorship, this Global Policy Special Section brings together pioneering thinkers to reflect upon the distance travelled by global governance research in recent years, identify promising lines of future inquiry and galvanise further scholarly innovation. 

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Contact Details

David Coen  
Professor of Public Policy and GGI Director 
UCL Department of Political Science / School of Public Policy
Email: d.coen@ucl.ac.uk / Tel: +44 (0) 20 7679 4967

For more information and recent publication please refer to Prof Coen’s UCL SPP profile.