Keith Dowding

{{for|the Australian Presbyterian minister and Labor activist|Keith Dowding (activist)}}

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{{Infobox economist

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| birth_name = Keith Martin Dowding

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1960|05|06}}

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| nationality = British

| institution = Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

| field = Political science

| alma_mater = Nuffield College, Oxford University

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Keith Martin Dowding (born 6 May 1960,){{cite web |title=Dowding, Keith M. |url=http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n91027591.html |access-date=23 September 2014 |publisher=Library of Congress |quote=data sheet (Dowding, Keith Martin; b. 05-06-1960)}} is a professor of political science and political philosophy at the Australian National University's School of Politics and International Relations. Previously, he was a faculty member in the Government Department at the London School of Economics in 2006.{{Cite web |date=20 September 2006 |title=In Praise of Manipulation |url=https://www.lse.ac.uk/government/Assets/Documents/pdf/research-groups/pspe/working-papers/PSPE-WP5-06.pdf}} Dowding's research encompasses public administration, public policy, political theory, and urban political economy, focusing on social and rational choice theories. From 1996 to 2012, he served as editor of the Journal of Theoretical Politics, published by SAGE Publishing.

Early life

Dowding obtained his BA in Philosophy and Politics from Keele University in 1982 and completed a DPhil at Nuffield College, Oxford University, in 1987.{{cite web|title=Professor Keith Dowding|url=https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/dowding-km#biography|publisher=Australian National University|access-date=13 April 2014}}

Career

Dowding began editing for SAGE Publishing in 1996.{{Cite journal|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0951692896008001001|title=Editorial=|date=January 1996|journal=Journal of Theoretical Politics| doi=10.1177/0951692896008001001 | last1=Dowding | first1=Keith | last2=Lane | first2=Jan-Erik | last3=Miller | first3=Nicholas R. | volume=8 | pages=5–6 }} In 2007, he began teaching as a Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University.{{Cite web|url=https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/dowding-km|title=Professor Keith Dowding|website=Australian National University}}

= Theory =

Dowding's work spans political philosophy and empirical political science.{{Cite web |title=Prof. Keith Dowding - Center for Advanced Studies LMU (CAS) - LMU Munich |url=https://www.en.cas.uni-muenchen.de/fellowship_program/previous_vf/social_sciences/dowding_keith/index.html |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=www.en.cas.uni-muenchen.de |language=en}} He has published research on "power," applying concepts from formal analysis to debates on the nature of power and the structure of power in society. Expanding on Brian Barry's concept of "luck," he argues that some groups of people are "systematically lucky" because they are advantaged by society's structure, while other groups are systematically unlucky. This argument has drawn criticism from scholars including Brian Barry, Steven Lukes, Peter Morriss, and Andrew Hindmoor.Barry, Brian. 2002. "Capitalists Rule OK? Some Puzzles about Power." Politics, Philosophy and Economics 1: 155–84.

Barry, Brian. 2003. "Capitalists Rule. OK? A Commentary on Keith Dowding." Politics, Philosophy and Economics 2: 323–41.

Bosworth, William. 2021. "Power Obsessed." Journal of Political Power 14 (2): 288–300.

Hindmoor, Andrew, and Josh McGeechan. 2013. "Luck, Systematic Luck and Business Power: Lucky All the Way Down or Trying Hard to Get What It Wants without Trying." Political Studies 61: 834–50.

Lukes, Steven. 2021. "Power and Rational Choice." Journal of Political Power 14 (2): 281–87.Dowding, Keith. 2021. "Individually Lucky, Collectively Powerful: A Response to Friends." Journal of Political Power 14 (2): 340–62.

Dowding has also researched the Tiebout model concerning individuals moving for local services. His work indicated that such migration occurs in the UK, though to a small extent, and that people tend to move to areas for service reasons but do not typically leave areas for those reasons.{{Citation Needed|date=February 2025}} He has extended this research to examine Albert Hirschman's Exit, Voice and Loyalty Model.{{Citation Needed|date=February 2025}} In 2012, he co-authored the book Exits, Voices and Social Investment with Peter John, applying Hirschman's model to citizen satisfaction with government services.{{Cite book |last1=Dowding |first1=Keith |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/exits-voices-and-social-investment/EF1CFBF47538999EA63EBF6C7EE98B56 |title=Exits, Voices and Social Investment: Citizens' Reaction to Public Services |last2=John |first2=Peter |date=2012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-02242-3 |series=Theories of Institutional Design |location=Cambridge |doi=10.1017/cbo9781139136709}}

In his 2012 article, "The Prime Ministerialisation of the British Prime Minister," Dowding considered the theory of presidentialisation of British politics.{{Cite journal|last=Dowding|first=Keith|date=2013-07-01|title=The Prime Ministerialisation of the British Prime Minister|url=https://academic.oup.com/pa/article/66/3/617/1559310|journal=Parliamentary Affairs|language=en|volume=66|issue=3|pages=617–635|doi=10.1093/pa/gss007|issn=0031-2290|doi-access=free|hdl=1885/18172|hdl-access=free}} The article challenges Michael Foley's theory that British politics is becoming increasingly similar to a presidential system. Dowding suggested that the British prime minister is gaining power by enhancing existing responsibilities rather than adopting new powers attributed to the President of the United States.

More recently, his work has examined why UK cabinet ministers resign, based on a dataset of UK ministerial resignations and non-resignations, and has compiled a similar dataset for Australia. He is currently working on a project examining political careers in Australia.{{When|date=May 2025}}{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Research

= The Careers of Cabinet Ministers =

{{Cite journal | last1 = Dowding | first1 = Keith | last2 = Kang | first2 = Won-Taek | title = Ministerial resignations 1945–97 | journal = Public Administration | volume = 76 | issue = 3 | pages = 411–429 | publisher = Wiley | doi = 10.1111/1467-9299.00109 | date = Autumn 1998 }}
{{Cite journal | last1 = Dowding | first1 = Keith | author2-link = Torun Dewan | last2 = Dewan | first2 = Torun | title = The corrective effect of ministerial resignations on government popularity | journal = American Journal of Political Science | volume = 49 | issue = 1 | pages = 46–56 | publisher = Wiley | doi = 10.1111/j.0092-5853.2005.00109.x | date = January 2005 }}
{{Cite journal | last1 = Dowding | first1 = Keith | last2 = Berlinski | first2 = Samuel | last3 = Dewan | first3 = Torun | title = The length of ministerial tenure in the United Kingdom, 1945–97 | journal = British Journal of Political Science | volume = 37 | issue = 2 | pages = 245–262 | publisher = Cambridge Journals | doi = 10.1017/S0007123407000129 | date = April 2007 | url = http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/12700/ | hdl = 1885/22498 | s2cid = 153423164 | hdl-access = free }}
{{cite book |last1= Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Dumont |first2= Patrick |title= The selection of ministers in Europe: hiring and firing |publisher= Routledge |location= London New York |year= 2009 |isbn= 978-0-415-43081-4 }}
{{Cite journal |last1= Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Berlinski |first2= Samuel |last3= Dewan |first3= Torun |title= The impact of individual and collective performance on ministerial tenure |journal = The Journal of Politics |volume= 72 |issue=2 |pages= 559–571 |publisher= Cambridge Journals |doi= 10.1017/S0022381609990843 |date= April 2010 |citeseerx= 10.1.1.516.9550 |s2cid= 53335942 }}
{{Citation |last1= Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= McLeay |first2= Elizabeth |contribution= The firing line: when and why do prime ministers fire ministerial colleagues? |editor-last1= 't Hart |editor-first1= Paul |editor-last2= Uhr |editor-first2= John |title= How power changes hands: transition and succession in government |pages= 157–173 |publisher= Palgrave Macmillan |series= Understanding Governance |location= Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire New York |year= 2011 |isbn= 978-0-230-24296-8 |postscript= .}}
{{cite book |last1=Dowding |first1= Keith |last2 = Berlinski |first2= Samuel |last3= Dewan |first3= Torun |title= Accounting for ministers: scandal and survival in British government, 1945–2007 |publisher= Cambridge University Press |location= Cambridge |year = 2012 |isbn= 978-0-521-51972-4 }}
{{cite book |last1= Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Dumont |first2= Patrick |title= The Selection of Ministers Around the World |publisher= Routledge |location= London |year= 2015}} {{ISBN|978-0-415-63346-8}}; {{ISBN|978-1-138-23819-0}}.
{{cite book |last1=Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Dumont |first2= Patrick |title= Ministerial Careers and Accountability in the Australian Commonwealth Government |publisher= ANU Press |location= Canberra |year= 2012}} {{ISBN|978-1-922-14400-3}}.

= Analytical Account of Freedom and Rights =

This is a joint work in collaboration with Martin van Hees.

{{Cite journal |last1=Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= van Hees |first2= Martin |author-link2= Martin van Hees |title= The construction of rights |journal= American Political Science Review |volume= 97 |issue= 2 |pages= 281–293 |publisher= Cambridge Journals |date= May 2003 |doi= 10.1017/s0003055403000674|s2cid= 56017464 }}
{{Cite journal |last=Dowding |first= Keith |title= Social choice and the grammar of rights and freedoms |journal= Political Studies |volume= 52 |issue=1 |pages= 144–161 |publisher= Wiley |doi= 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2004.00469.x |date= March 2004 |s2cid= 144483072 }}
{{Cite journal |last1=Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= van Hees |first2= Martin | author-link2= Martin van Hees |title= Poverty and the local contingency of universal rights |journal= International Social Science Journal |volume= 56 |issue= 180 |pages= 301–312 |publisher= Wiley |doi= 10.1111/j.0020-8701.2004.00492.x |date= June 2004 }}
{{Cite journal |last=Dowding |first= Keith |title= Luck, equality and responsibility |journal= Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy|volume= 13 |issue=1 |pages= 71–92 |publisher= Taylor and Francis |doi= 10.1080/13698230903326265 |date= March 2010 |s2cid= 144970778 }}

::Reprinted in {{cite book |last1= Matravers |first1= Matt |last2 = Meyer |first2= Lukas |title= Democracy, equality, and justice |publisher= Routledge |location= London |year= 2011 |isbn= 978-0-415-59292-5 }}

{{Cite journal |last= Dowding |first= Keith |title= Republican freedom, rights, and the coalition problem |journal= Politics, Philosophy & Economics |volume= 10 |issue=3 |pages= 301–322 |publisher= Sage |doi= 10.1177/1470594X10388380 |date= August 2011 |s2cid= 155062363 }}

= Work on Amartya Sen =

Dowding has studied the measurement of freedom and rights. He has worked for the team led by Paul Anand, Open University, UK. Using survey data, they examined Amartya Sen's capability approach ('Capabilities and Well-Being: Operationalizing the Capabilities Framework').Anand, Paul, Graham Hunter, Keith Dowding, Ian Carter, Francesco Guala, and Martin van Hees. 2009. "The Development of Capability Indicators." Journal of Human Development and Capabilities 10 (1): 125–52./ This research was supported by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Board.

{{Citation |last= Dowding |first= Keith |contribution= What is welfare and how might it be measured? |editor-last1= Kincaid |editor-first1= Harold |editor-last2= Ross |editor-first2= Don |title= The Oxford handbook of philosophy of economics |pages= 511–539 |publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford, New York |year= 2009 |isbn= 978-0-19-518925-4}}

= Policy Agendas in Australia =

With Aaron Martin of Melbourne University, Dowding worked on the Australian franchise of the Policy Agendas and Comparative Agenda Project. He has addressed methodological questions regarding what is measured in these projects, which he discussed in articles in the Journal of Public Policy and opening chapters of the book 'Policy Agendas in Australia'.

{{cite book |last1= Dowding |first1= Keith |last2 = Martin |first2= Aaron |title= Policy Agendas in Australia |publisher= Palgrave |location= London |year= 2016}} {{ISBN|978-3-319-40804-0}}
{{Cite journal |last1= Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Hiindmoor |first2= Andrew |last3= Martin |first3= Aaron |title= The Comparative Policy Agendas Project: Theory, Measurement, and Findings |journal= Journal of Public Policy |volume= 36 |issue=1 |pages = 3–25|doi= 10.1017/S0143814X15000124 |year= 2016 |s2cid= 155580092 }}

Publications

= Books =

{{cite book |last=Dowding |first= Keith M. |title= Rational choice and political power |publisher= Edward Elgar |location= Aldershot, Hampshire, England Brookfield, Vermont, USA |year= 1991 |isbn= 978-1-85278-335-8 }}
{{cite book |last= Dowding |first= Keith |title= The civil service |publisher= Routledge |location= London New York |year= 1995 |isbn= 978-0-415-07568-8 }}
{{cite book |last1= Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= King |first2= Desmond |title= Preferences, institutions, and rational choice |publisher= Clarendon Press Oxford University Press |location= Oxford New York |year= 1995 |isbn= 978-0-19-827895-5 }}
{{cite book |last= Dowding |first= Keith |title= Power |publisher= University of Minnesota Press (series: Concepts in the Social Sciences) |location= Minneapolis, Minnesota |year= 1996 |isbn= 978-0-8166-2940-4}}
{{cite book |last1= Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Margetts |first2= Helen |last3= Hughes |first3= James |author-link2= Helen Margetts |author-link3= Jim Hughes (academic) |title= Challenges to democracy: ideas, involvement, and institutions |series= The Political Studies Association Yearbook 2000 |publisher= Palgrave |location = Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire New York |year= 2001 |isbn= 978-0-333-78982-7}}
{{cite book |last1=Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= de Wispelaere |first2= Jurgen |last3= White |first3= Stuart |title= The ethics of stakeholding |publisher= Palgrave Macmillan |location = New York |year= 2003 |isbn= 978-1-4039-0580-2}}
{{cite book |last1= Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Pateman |first2=Carole |last3=Goodin |first3= Robert E. |author-link2= Carole Pateman |title= Justice and democracy: essays for Brian Barry |publisher= Cambridge University Press |location= Cambridge, New York |year= 2004 |isbn= 978-0-521-83695-1}}
{{cite book |last1= Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Dumont |first2= Patrick |title= The selection of ministers in Europe: hiring and firing |publisher= Routledge |location= London, New York |year= 2009 |isbn= 978-0-415-43081-4 }}
{{cite book |last1=Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Dewan |first2= Torun |last3= Shepsle |first3= Kenneth A. |title= Rational choice politics (4 volume set) |publisher= Sage Library of Political Science |location= London |year=2009 |isbn= 978-1-4129-4502-8}}

::Volume I: Social choice, equilibrium and electoral systems

::Volume II: Voting, elections and pressure politics

::Volume III: Legislatures

::Volume IV: Bureaucracy, constitutional arrangements and the state

{{cite book |last=Dowding |first= Keith |title= Encyclopedia of power |publisher= Sage Publishing |location= Thousand Oaks, California |year=2011 |isbn= 978-1-4129-2748-2 }}
{{cite book |last1=Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Berlinski |first2= Samuel |last3= Dewan |first3= Torun |title= Accounting for ministers: scandal and survival in British government, 1945–2007 |publisher= Cambridge University Press |location= Cambridge |year= 2012 |isbn= 978-0-521-51972-4}}
{{cite book |last1=Dowding |first1= Keith |title= The Philosophy and Methods of Political Science |publisher= Palgrave |location= London |year= 2016 |isbn= 978-0-333-78694-9}}
{{cite book |last1=Dowding |first1= Keith |title= Power, Luck and Freedom: Collected Essays |publisher= Manchester University Press |location= Manchester |year= 2017 |isbn= 978-1-526-10728-2}}
{{cite book |last1=Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Martin |first2= Aaron |title= Policy Agendas in Australia |publisher= Palgrave |location= London |year= 2017 |isbn= 978-3-319-40804-0}}
{{cite book |last1=Dowding |first1= Keith |title= Its the Government, Stupid: How Governments blame citizens for their own policies |publisher= Bristol University Press|location= Bristol |year= 2020 |isbn= 978-1-5292-0639-5}}