DrMatthew Donoghue

I am an Assistant Professor of Social Policy (formerly an Ad Astra Fellow). My previous roles include Lecturer in Comparative Social Policy, University of Oxford and Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the FP7 Funded project RESCuE: Citizens’ Resilience in Times of Crisis.

My research is centred on three core, interconnected themes: socio-economic resilience the politics and ideology of social citizenship, and the political economy of modern welfare states. My area focus is Ireland, the UK and Europe (EU and continent). In my work, I explore how individuals, communities, and governments respond to – and construct – crises of various scales and subjects, and what these responses reveal about the changing nature of social rights and social/public policy. My current research agenda has two core elements: shaping the scholarly and policy discourse on resilience, and developing novel perspectives on Social Citizenship in Europe, both in the context of the EU and the European continent.

Current and recent funded projects include a study on “Just Resilience” in Ireland and internationally, and research that examined the dynamics and prospects of Public Participation Networks on local policymaking and democratic participation in Ireland. I am currently editing a book entitled A Research Agenda for Resilience in Social and Public Policy (Edward Elgar, 2026). Recent work on resilience, social cohesion, social citizenship and the political economy of welfare has appeared in journals such as West European Politics, New Political Economy, The Journal of Social Policy, Critical Social Policy, Journal of European Social Policy, Social Policy and Society, The Sociological Review, and Political Studies. I also co-edited the open access book Whither Social Rights in (post-) Brexit Europe? (Social Europe Publishing).

My record of impact and public engagement includes providing evidence to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection on auto-enrolment of pensions; Covid-19 social impact scenario planning for the UK Cabinet Office, a review of social cohesion policy for The British Academy, and engagement with the UK’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. My public engagement activities also include engaging with print, television and online media, including The New York Times, ABC Australia, NPR, Sky News, and CBS.

I would be delighted to discuss potential PhD projects with prospective applicants who share any of the above interests.