Reader

BA (UCM), MSc with Distinction (LSE), MA (Juan March Institute), PhD (UAM)

Contact Details

• Tel: +44 (0)116 252 2727
• Fax: +44 (0)116 252 5082
• Email: lm254@leicester.ac.uk 
• Webpage: on academia.edu
• Location: Attenborough Tower (ATT-910)

Research Interests

I joined the Department in May 2011. Previously I have held teaching and research positions in the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), the University of Murcia (UM) and the University of Manchester.

My interests lie, especially, in the areas of political behaviour, political parties, the politics of immigration, and comparative politics. I am currently engaged in several projects on the politics of immigration, and on civic and political participation in established democracies.

I am particularly interested in the following areas:
• Political behaviour and political organisations.
• Associational involvement and political participation.
• Social movements.
• Political parties.
• The gender gap in political behaviour.
• Political institutions, governmental responsiveness and public opinion.
• Local policies on migration/ethnic issues.
• Local democracy and political participation of migrant/ethnic minorities.
• Organisational networks and social capital of migrant/ethnic minorities.

Current Research

I am currently conducting work on the following research projects:

• European Research Council Starting Grant on the project "Democratic Responsiveness in Comparative Perspective: How do Democratic Governments Respond to Different Expressions of Public Opinion? (RESPONSIVEGOV), funded by the 7th Framework Programme of the EC. I am the PI of this project that will run for five years until 2016. Grant €1.4 million.  Project website.

• Project Support and Opposition to Migration. A cross national comparison of the politicization of migration, funded by the 7th Framework Programme of the EC. I am the PI of the University of Leicester partner team (overall consortium coordinated by the University of Neuchtel, Switzerland). € 205,594  Project website.

• Project Immigrant Citizens Survey, funded by the EC Integration Fund for Third Country Nationals, and led by the King Baudouin Foundation and the Migration Policy Group, both based in Brussels. Project website.

Further to this, I am working on the publications resulting from other recently completed projects:

• Project Immigration, Diversity and Civic Culture in Spain: A Longitudinal Analysis (2000-2008), funded by the Spanish Centre for Sociological Research (Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas). 2009-2010. Grant: €12,000.

• Grassroots activism, social capital and democracy. A comparative study of Germany, Spain and Switzerland, funded by the British Academy. 2008-2010. Grant: £ 6,950.

Recent Research Activity

Between 2006 and 2009 I was the co-ordinator of the Localmultidem project, funded by the 6th Framework Programme of the European Commission, which studied the civic and political inclusion of migrant-background citizens in several European cities. This project has resulted in a number of recent publications, and I am still working on my own and with international collaborators on further disseminating the main results of this project.

I have also been actively involved in the organisation of a Seminar Series on “The Political Representation of Ethnic Minorities in the UK in Comparative Perspective”, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK. PI: Prof. Edward Fieldhouse, Co-Investigators: Prof. Rachel Gibson, Dr. Matthew Goodwin, Dr. Robert Ford, Dr. Laura Morales, Dr. Maria Sobolewska. Grant: £ 17,914. Awarded to the University of Manchester. 2010-2012 (24 months).

Teaching and PhD Supervision

I am available to supervise students in any of my areas of research and expertise, and I am particularly interested in supervising students wishing to work in the areas of the politics of immigration, especially in connection to how it affects issues of political representation and political behaviour.  I will not be engaged in undergraduate teaching between 2011 and 2016 to concentrate on the research grants awarded.

I currently supervise two PhD students in Leicester: Irene Palacios, who is working on the conceptualisation and measurement of the quality of contemporary democracies; and Verena Wisthaler, who works on how immigration affects the identity politics of ethno-national minorities in five European regions (the Basque Country, Corsica, Scotland, South Tyrol and Wales).  I also continue to supervise another four students at the University of Manchester.

Publications

Books

Laura Morales, Marco Giugni. ed. Social Capital, Political Participation and Migration in Europe. Migration, Minorities and Citizenship. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2011.

Michael Wolf, Laura Morales, Ken'ichi Ikeda. ed. Political Discussion in Modern Democracies in a Comparative Perspective. Routledge/ECPR Studies in European Political Science. London: Routledge, 2010.

Morales, L. Joining Political Organisations. Colchester: ECPR Press, 2009.

Articles and Chapters

Laura Morales, Luis Ramiro. "Gaining Political Capital through Social Capital. Inclusion in Policy Making and Network Embeddedness of Immigrants’ Associations in Spain." Mobilization 16, no. 2(2011).

L. Morales & M. Giugni. "Political Opportunities, Social Capital, and the Political Inclusion of Immigrants in European Cities" in Laura Morales, Marco Giugni. ed. Social Capital, Political Participation and Migration in Europe. Migration, Minorities and Citizenship. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2011.

L. Morales  "Conceptualising and Measuring Migrants' Political Inclusion" in Laura Morales, Marco Giugni. ed. Social Capital, Political Participation and Migration in Europe. Migration, Minorities and Citizenship. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2011.

L.Morales & K.Pilati. "The Role of Social Capital in Migrants' Engagement in Local Politics in European Cities" in Laura Morales, Marco Giugni. ed. Social Capital, Political Participation and Migration in Europe. Migration, Minorities and Citizenship. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2011.

L.Morales & M.Morariu  "Is 'Home' a Distraction? The Role of Migrants' Transnational Practices in Their Political Integration into Receiving-Country Politics" in Laura Morales, Marco Giugni. ed. Social Capital, Political Participation and Migration in Europe. Migration, Minorities and Citizenship. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2011.

M.Giugni & L.Morales "Conclusions. Towards an Integrated Approach to the Political Inclusion of Migrants" in Laura Morales, Marco Giugni. ed. Social Capital, Political Participation and Migration in Europe. Migration, Minorities and Citizenship. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2011.

L. Morales & L. Jorba, ‘The Transnational Practices of Immigrants’ Associations in Spain’, in R. Baubock & T. Faist (eds.) Diaspora and Transnationalism: Concepts, Theories and Methods, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. 2010.

L. Morales & L. Ramiro ‘Spanish Parties and Democracy: Weak Party-Society Linkage and Intense Party-State Symbiosis’ in K. Lawson (ed.) Political Parties and Democracy [Five Volumes], Westport: Praeger/Greenwood Publishing Group. 2010.

Morales, L., Peter Geurts. "Associational Involvement." In Citizenship and Involvement in European Democracies: A Comparative Analysis, ed. J.W. van Deth, J.R. Montero, and A. Westholm, 135-157. Routledge, 2007.

Simone Baglioni, Bas Denters, Morales, L., Angelika Vetter. "City Size and the Nature of Associational Ecologies." In Social Capital and Associations in European Democracies: A Comparative Analysis, ed. W. A. Maloney and S Rossteutscher, 224-243. Routledge, 2007.

Luis Ramiro, Morales, L. "European Integration and Spanish Parties: Elite Empowerment amidst Limited Adaptation." In The Europeanization of National Political Parties: Power and Organizational Adaptation, ed. Thomas Poguntke, Nicholas Aylott, Elisabeth Carter, Robert Ladrech & Richard Luther, 134-161. Routledge, 2007.

N. Aylott, Morales, L., L. Ramiro. "Some Things Change, a Lot Stays the Same: Comparing the Country Studies." In The Europeanization of National Political Parties: Power and Organizational Adaptation, ed. T. Poguntke, N. Aylott, E. Carter, R. Ladrech and R. Luther, 190-210. Routledge, 2007.

Hanspeter Kriesi, Morales, L., Melanie Walters. "The Political and cultural context of associational life." In Social Capital and Associations in European Democracies: A Comparative Analysis, ed. William A. Maloney & S Roßteutscher. Routledge, 2007.

Celia Valiente, Luis Ramiro, Morales, L. "Spain." In Sharing Power, ed. Yvonne Galligan & Manon Tremblay, 189-204. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005.

Morales, L. "“Latecomers but ‘Early-Adapters’. The Adaptation and Response of Spanish Parties to Social Changes." In How Parties Respond to Voters. Interest Aggregation Revisited, ed. Kay Lawson y Thomas Poguntke, 198-226. London: Routledge, 2004.

Morales, L. "Associational Membership and Social Capital in Comparative Perspective: a Note on the Problems of Measurement." Politics and Society 30(3)(2002) : 497-523.

Morales, L. "Political Participation: Exploring the Gender Gap in Spain." South European Society & Politics Special Issue on “Understanding Gender Inequalities in Southern Europe” 4 (1)(2000) : 223-247.