Dr Matthew L Bishop
Department of Politics and International Relations
Senior Lecturer in International Politics
+44 114 222 0664
Full contact details
Department of Politics and International Relations
Modular Teaching Village
Northumberland Road
Sheffield
S10 1AJ
- Profile
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In 2016, Matthew re-joined the department where he undertook all of his degrees—BA (Hons) French and Politics (2003), MA Research Methods and IR (2004, with distinction), and PhD (2008)—and also began his academic career. In the interim, he spent seven years at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, firstly as Lecturer in International Relations (in 2009) and then as Senior Lecturer (from 2013).
He has held visiting positions at universities in the UK (Warwick, as Transatlantic Fellow), the Netherlands (Institute of Social Studies and the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies) and China (Wuhan). Matthew is also the founding managing editor of the Caribbean Journal of International Relations & Diplomacy, and he has consulted for various organisations, including the Department for International Development (DfID), The Commonwealth Secretariat, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Matthew is active within the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI) where he is a Fellow and co-leader of its research programme on Development and the Governance of a Globalising Political Economy, and regularly writes commentaries for its influential blog. He is also a Fellow of the Sheffield Institute for International Development (SIID). His primary area of research interest is the political economy of development, with a particular focus on small states in general, and the Caribbean specifically.
- Research interests
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My current research is organised around four broad themes:
Rethinking development beyond the crisis.
This began with a working paper published in 2016 entitled Rethinking the political economy of development beyond the “Rise of the BRICS” which does two things: it reflects on the consequences of China’s rise (and that of other ‘emerging’ countries) for conceptions of development, and lays out an embryonic research agenda for studying it in a post-crisis world.
This is my major project over the next few years and feeds into my work with SPERI in general, and Tony Payne in particular, as co-leaders of the institute’s research programme on Development and the Governance of a Globalising Political Economy. We plan to write a book on rethinking development conceptually, and I will use this as an intellectual springboard for a much larger individual project assessing global patterns of development beyond the crisis.
The political economy of drug policy in the Americas
This strand of research began with funding from the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) in 2015-16 and sought to assess the political economy of cannabis legalisation in the US, the consequences for US domestic/foreign policy and the global governance regime for drugs, as well as the developmental implications for small Caribbean producer countries.
I am writing this up into a number of academic papers, and some of my emerging ideas are in blog form (here, here and here) and a SPERI Global Brief about the UN conference (UNGASS) on drugs that took place in 2016. I intend to expand this research by looking at cannabis policy reform in South America and Canada too, ultimately writing a book on the subject that is presently loosely entitled Pathways from Prohibition: Governing Ganja in the Americas.
China’s ‘rise’ and global governance
I am currently working on two collaborative papers: one, authored with Andy Knight (University of Alberta), addresses the question of US-China ‘hegemonic transitions’ in the Caribbean; another, with Xiaotong Zhang (Wuhan University), asks whether China is a ‘reluctant leader’ of the WTO. The latter is part of a journal special issue that I am editing with Peg Murray-Evans (University of York) on how ‘rising powers are reshaping global economic governance’. In the longer-term, Zhang and I are planning funding bids to Chinese and UK research councils to undertake work with other colleagues in and beyond Sheffield to study China’s developmental expansion.
Existential threats and Caribbean development
This strand of research brings together my longstanding interest in the political economy of development in the Caribbean, and links to a wider concern with the patterns of insecurity facing many small island states. In the first instance, I am working on an Edited book that addresses different elements of the multi-faceted development challenge facing the region. I am also part of a team of researchers (see below) undertaking an ESRC/AHRC-funded project looking at urban violence in Trinidad.
Key projects
Awarding Body: ESRC and AHRC (Trans-National Organised Crime Cross-disciplinary Innovation Grant)
People Involved: Adam Baird, Coventry University (Principal Investigator), myself (co-Investigator), Dylan Kerrigan, University of the West Indies
Title of Research: Breaking Bad: Understanding violence at the intersection between transnational organised crime, community, and masculinities in Port of Spain, Trinidad
Duration: 18 months: January 2017 – July 2018
Total Award: £99,636Awarding Body: Social Science Research Council (Drugs, Security and Democracy Fellowship)
Title of Research: The turning tide of drug policy in the Americas: is the Caribbean riding the wave?
Duration: 12 months: September 2015 – August 2016
Total Award: $15,200 (USD)Awarding Body: Department for International Development (DfID)
People Involved: Myself (PI and lead author), Norman Girvan, (Co-I) and research team from University of the West Indies
Title of Research: Caribbean Regional Integration
Duration: 6 months: September 2010 – March 2011
Total Award: £47,000
- Publications
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Books
- Europe and the British Left.
- Participating in peace: violence, development and dialogue in Colombia. Bristol University Press. View this article in WRRO
- Democratization. Macmillan Education UK.
- Democratization A Critical Introduction. Palgrave Macmillan.
- The Political Economy of Caribbean Development. Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Edited books
- Post-Colonial Trajectories in the Caribbean: The Three Guianas. London: Routledge.
Journal articles
- Secession, territorial integrity and (non)-sovereignty : why do some separatist movements in the Caribbean succeed and others fail?. Ethnopolitics.
- Teaching global citizenship : the Global Leadership Initiative, its impact and challenges. Global Policy. View this article in WRRO
- Steering towards reglobalization : can a reformed G20 rise to the occasion?. Globalizations. View this article in WRRO
- The political economies of different globalizations : theorizing reglobalization. Globalizations. View this article in WRRO
- Labor movements and party system development: Why does the Caribbean have stable two-party systems, but the Pacific does not?. World Development, 126, ---. View this article in WRRO
- Five Little B(R)ICS: Huffing and Puffing, but not Blowing Your House In. New Political Economy. View this article in WRRO
- Why is China a Reluctant Leader of the World Trade Organization?. New Political Economy. View this article in WRRO
- Brexit: Challenges and Opportunities for Small Countries and Territories. The Round Table, 107(3), 329-339.
- The FIFA Scandal and the Distorted Influence of Small States. Global Governance, 24(1), 21-40. View this article in WRRO
- Hemispheric reconfigurations in Northern Amazonia: the ‘Three Guianas’ amid regional change and Brazilian hegemony. Third World Quarterly, 38(2), 356-378.
- Doha stalemate: The end of trade multilateralism?. Review of International Studies, 41(2), 383-406.
- Still Lonely After All These Years?: Contemporary Development in the ‘Three Guianas’. Caribbean Studies, 43(2), 83-113.
- Caribbean development alternatives and the CARIFORUM–European Union economic partnership agreement. Journal of International Relations and Development, 16(1), 82-110.
- The political economy of small states: Enduring vulnerability?. Review of International Political Economy, 19(5), 942-960.
- Climate Change and the Future of Caribbean Development. Journal of Development Studies, 48(10), 1536-1553.
- Slaying the ‘Westmonster’ in the Caribbean? Constitutional Reform in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 13(3), 420-437.
- Lost in Translation? EU Development Policy in the Anglophone and Francophone Eastern Caribbean. The European Journal of Development Research, 23(3), 337-353.
- Coalescing for Change? Novel Coalitions in the UK and Trinidad and Tobago. The Round Table, 100(412), 55-63.
- Tourism as a Small-State Development Strategy. Progress in Development Studies, 10(2), 99-114.
- Differentiating the local impact of global drugs and weapons trafficking: How do gangs mediate ‘residual violence’ to sustain Trinidad’s homicide boom?. Political Geography.
- “Breaking bad”? Gangs, masculinities, and murder in Trinidad. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 1-26.
Chapters
- Transforming Buenaventura: Dialogue for Municipal Peacebuilding, Participating in Peace (pp. 83-116). Bristol University Press
- Transforming Buenaventura: Dialogue for Municipal Peacebuilding, Participating in Peace (pp. 83-116). Policy Press
- Protecting Catatumbo: Dialogue as Conflict-Sensitive Environmentalism, Participating in Peace (pp. 57-82). Bristol University Press
- Protecting Catatumbo: Dialogue as Conflict-Sensitive Environmentalism, Participating in Peace (pp. 57-82). Policy Press
- Peace through Participation: The Colombian Experience, Participating in Peace (pp. 11-35). Bristol University Press
- Peace through Participation: The Colombian Experience, Participating in Peace (pp. 11-35). Policy Press
- Participation through Dialogue: Co-Producing Peace and Research, Participating in Peace (pp. 36-56). Bristol University Press
- Participation through Dialogue: Co-Producing Peace and Research, Participating in Peace (pp. 36-56). Policy Press
- Introduction, Participating in Peace (pp. 1-10). Bristol University Press
- Introduction, Participating in Peace (pp. 1-10). Policy Press
- Note on the Cover Image, Participating in Peace (pp. xi-xii). Bristol University Press
- List of Abbreviations, Participating in Peace (pp. v-vi). Bristol University Press
- Notes on the Authors, Participating in Peace (pp. vii-viii). Bristol University Press
- List of Maps and Tables, Participating in Peace (pp. iv-iv). Bristol University Press
- Note on the Cover Image, Participating in Peace (pp. xi-xii). Policy Press
- Notes on the Authors, Participating in Peace (pp. vii-viii). Policy Press
- List of Abbreviations, Participating in Peace (pp. v-vi). Policy Press
- List of Maps and Tables, Participating in Peace (pp. iv-iv). Policy Press
- PARTICIPATING IN PEACE Violence, Development and Dialogue in Colombia Introduction, PARTICIPATING IN PEACE (pp. 1-+).
- Policing drugs in the Caribbean, Drug Law Enforcement, Policing and Harm Reduction (pp. 132-150). Routledge
- RECONCILING A POST-BREXIT TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY, The Political Economy of Industrial Strategy in the UK (pp. 93-102). Agenda Publishing
- The IPE of Caribbean development, The Routledge Handbook to Global Political Economy: Conversations and Inquiries (pp. 621-634).
- Developing democracy, democratizing development: A backlash against hegemonic norms and practice?, Handbook on Development and Social Change (pp. 173-189).
- Democracy and Development: A Relationship of Harmony or Tension? In grugel & hammett (Ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of International Development (pp. 77-98). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
- State Capacity and International Politics In Minto-Coy I & Berman E (Ed.), Public Administration and Policy in the Caribbean (pp. 229-246). London: Taylor and Francis.
- Whither CARICOM? In Knight WA, Castro-Rea J & Ghany H (Ed.), Re-mapping the Americas: Trends in Region-Making (pp. 185-204). London: Routledge.
- Tourism and Environment In Desai V & Potter R (Ed.), The Companion to Development Studies (pp. 374-378). London: Routledge.
- The French Caribbean and the Challenge of Neoliberal Globalisation: The Silent Death of Tricolore Development? In Clegg P & Pantojas-Garcia E (Ed.), Governance in the Non-Independent Caribbean: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century (pp. 119-145). Kingston, Jamaica: Ian Randle.
- The Language of World Trade Politics Routledge
- Crime, Violence and Security in the Caribbean Routledge
Conference proceedings papers
- From Brussels with love Shifting governance and the evolution of 'Overseas Europe'. EURO-CARIBBEAN SOCIETIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY: OFFSHORE FINANCE, LOCAL ELITES AND CONTENTIOUS POLITICS (pp 53-67)
Working papers
- Negotiating Flexibility at UNGASS 2016: Solving the ‘World Drug Problem’?. Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute Global Political Economy Brief No.5.
- Rethinking the Political Economy of Development Beyond ‘The Rise of the BRICS’. Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute Paper No. 30.
- Caribbean Regional Governance and the Sovereignty/Statehood Problem. Centre for International Governance Innovation Caribbean Paper No.8.
- Europe and the British Left.
- Research group
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I have a diverse array of interests, so am keen to supervise PhD students interested in various issues, and, indeed, would also be very open-minded about dipping into others beyond them. Broadly speaking, I would be delighted to receive enquiries from students wishing to work on issues such as (but not limited to):
- The political economy of development
- Rising powers, the BRICS and China
- Global narcotics policy and the war on drugs
- Small states and non-sovereign territories
- The WTO and global trade politics
- Political economy in Latin America and the Caribbean
- The global politics of democratisation
- Regional integration and governance
I have examined a number of PhD theses, and am currently the main supervisor of four students at the University of the West Indies, all of whom received full scholarships, and of which three are very close to submission: Genève Phillip (good governance in non-sovereign territories); Ricky Ramnarine (post-sugar preference adjustment in Guyana, Trinidad and Fiji); Nikita Pardesi (decent work and social upgrading in global value chains); and Toni Blackman (sustainable transport in Port of Spain and Geneva).
Previous students:
- Courtney Lindsay (submitted 2016) Small States and Policy Space in Global Trade Politics
- Michelle John (awarded 2014) GMOs and Agricultural Trade in the Caribbean
- Teaching activities
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I teach primarily in the areas of political economy and development. In the academic year 2016-17, I will be introducing a new Level 2 module (POL 235) entitled “Development”. This challenges existing understandings of the subject as something that is only of special concern to the so-called “Global South” and tells a longer-term story of development that begins with the British Industrial Revolution in the 18th Century and ends with the British growth crisis through which we are living today.
In-between, we venture across almost the entire world the past 250 years – to 19th Century Germany and the USA, Latin America and the tropical islands of the Caribbean and Pacific in the mid-20th; Japan and South Korea in the 1970s; post-colonial Africa; and contemporary China – to learn how the ways in which development is understood and practiced is rooted in particular societies, at particular times, in line with particular prevailing ideas. I am also teaching an MA Module on “The Politics of Development” (POL 6870) which looks at different theories of development and how they play out in practice.
My teaching philosophy is guided by the provision of structures: I believe passionately that students learn best when given clear frameworks within which they can roam freely without becoming lost. This begins with the conception of modules themselves: key intellectual concerns emanate from a central organisational architecture; it incorporates the structure and rationale for assignments, which align with specific theoretical and empirical concerns, and are designed to assist in the development of different skills at appropriate points in a student’s academic journey; and it finds expression in seminars, where I continually pose big questions that help students to develop their own mental maps of issues, and to discover their own compelling answers to thorny problems.
I work hard in seminars to encourage everyone to participate and, crucially, to feel comfortable doing so. My classes are relentlessly energetic: discussions flow, but I also interject regularly to pose new questions, tease out fully those which have emerged implicitly – but which might not be recognised explicitly by the group – and I continually challenge students to think on their feet, subject their arguments to scrutiny, relate them to the literature, and to remain sceptical of conventional wisdom while learning to recognise and critique the validity of different knowledge-claims. A student once said that my seminars are characterised by ‘a relaxed but business-like atmosphere’ and this is exactly what I try to aim for.
To me, the issues we deal with in politics and international studies, however complex and difficult they may be, can always be distilled into a series of quite simple and straightforward ideas or notions. I view my job as fundamentally about giving students the confidence that they have both the right and ability to do this; in my experience, even the student to whom this kind of thinking comes least naturally can make huge intellectual breakthroughs when assisted to do so. I believe genuinely that we exist in a partnership of learning with our students. A large part of the job of an academic is to encourage a spirit of respectful mutual endeavour, and I learn as much myself from working with students as I hope they do from working with me.
- Professional activities and memberships
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Professional activities and recognition:
- Invited submission of evidence to Trinidad and Tobago Joint Select Committee on Foreign Affairs regarding the impact of foreign policy on the economy (2016)
- Managing Editor, Caribbean Journal of International Relations & Diplomacy
- Reviewer for publishers including Palgrave, Routledge and Stanford University Press, and approximately 20 different journals in politics and international studies
- Treasurer, International Studies Association Global South Caucus (2016-17)
- Member, Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Peer Review Group