Professor Kate Dommett
Department of Politics and International Relations
Professor of Digital Politics
+44 114 222 1682
Full contact details
Department of Politics and International Relations
Modular Teaching Village
Northumberland Road
Sheffield
S10 1AJ
- Profile
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I am Professor of Digital Politics in the Department and my research focuses on digital technology and democratic politics, with a particular focus on data use, election campaigns and regulation. I am interested in how politics is being changed by the uptake of digital technology, and how democratic institutions are adapting to use online affordances. My recent research has looked at the use of personal data for political campaigning, political advertising, and the regulation of digital politics. My previous work looked at political parties and how they are viewed by the public.
My research and teaching is driven by a desire to solve real world problems, using academic insights to inform policy development and practices around the uptake of digital tools. I have previously been a Special Advisor to the House of Lords Select Committee on Democracy and Digital Technology and am currently a member of the DCMS College of Experts. I also have experience working with the media and have had my research featured on BBC Radio 4, BBC News at 10, BBC Radio 5Live, France 24 and elsewhere.
- Research interests
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My research looks at the relationship between citizens and the state in contemporary democracies, particularly looking at how this is affected by digital technology. I have a long standing interest in political parties and campaigning. At the moment I'm looking at the way that digital technology is being used in elections and by democratic organisations, asking questions including:
- How is digital technology being used in elections?
- What democratic goals should inform the use and regulation of digital technology? And how is the ‘problem’ technology poses for democracy currently understood by different audiences?
- How should digital campaigning be regulated? And what actions should the government, companies, individuals and campaigners take?
- What does good digital citizenship look like, and how can it be advanced?
Find out more about my research on digital technology.
Key projects
- 2020 - 2023: 'Data-driven campaigns: intended and unintended consequences for democracy [DATADRIVEN]’, Norface 'Democratic Governance in a Turbulent Age', €1,06 million Euro.
- 2020 - 2023: 'Understanding Online Political Advertising: Perceptions, Uses and Regulation', Leverhulme Foundation Project Grant, £390,215.
- 2016 'Renewing Party Politics? Digital Innovations in Political Campaigning', ESRC Future Leaders, £185,372
- 2017 'The Challenge of Party Membership', ESRC Impact Accelerator Funding, £21,710
- 2018 'The Challenges of Studying Political Campaigning in the Digital Realm', British Academy Rising Stars, £13,201.97
- Publications
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Books
- Data-driven Campaigning and Political Parties Five Advanced Democracies Compared.
- Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties. Oxford University PressNew York.
Journal articles
- Are certain types of microtargeting more acceptable? Comparing US, German, and Dutch citizens’ attitudes. Media and Communication, 12. View this article in WRRO
- The truth about digital propaganda. New Scientist, 263(3506), 36-39. View this article in WRRO
- Top Tips for Academics Engaging with the Media. Political Insight, 15(2), 24-27.
- Citizens’ Acceptance of Data-Driven Political Campaigning: A 25-Country Cross-National Vignette Study. Social Science Computer Review.
- The 2024 Election Will Be Fought on the Ground, Not By AI. Political Insight, 14(4), 4-6.
- The regulatory ecosystem of data driven campaigning in the UK. Frontiers in Political Science, 5. View this article in WRRO
- We Coded 2,500 UK General Election Adverts - Here’s What We Learned. Political Insight, 14(2), 24-29.
Chapters
- Introduction, Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties: Five Advanced Democracies Compared (pp. 1-19). Oxford University Press View this article in WRRO
- Theoretical Framework, Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties (pp. 20-42). Oxford University PressNew York
- Technology, Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties (pp. 104-130). Oxford University PressNew York
- Practitioner Perspectives on Technology, Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties (pp. 131-135). Oxford University PressNew York
- Practitioner Perspectives on Personnel, Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties (pp. 163-166). Oxford University PressNew York
- Practitioner Perspectives on Data, Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties (pp. 66-70). Oxford University PressNew York
- Practitioner Perspectives on Analytics, Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties (pp. 99-103). Oxford University PressNew York
- Personnel, Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties (pp. 136-162). Oxford University PressNew York
- Explaining Variation in Data-Driven Campaigning, Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties (pp. 167-190). Oxford University PressNew York
- Data, Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties (pp. 43-65). Oxford University PressNew York
- Analytics, Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties (pp. 71-98). Oxford University PressNew York
Preprints
- Making Elections More Transparent? Lessons from the Implementation of Digital Imprints at the 2024 UK General Election, Center for Open Science.
- What makes online political ads unacceptable? Interrogating public attitudes to inform regulatory responses, Cambridge University Press (CUP).
- Data-driven Campaigning and Political Parties Five Advanced Democracies Compared.
- Supervision Expertise
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- Digital Campaigning
- Electoral Politics
- Data and Politics
- Digital Regulation
- Social media platforms