Dr Peter Finn
Faculties, deparments and locations
- Faculty of Business and Social Sciences
- Department of Criminology and Social Sciences
- School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences
- Penrhyn Road
Senior Lecturer, and Events Officer for department
- Email:
- p.finn@kingston.ac.uk
About
I am a multi-award-winning Lecturer in the Department of Criminology, Politics and Sociology. I am interested in the intersection between national security and human rights, as well as the logic(s) that underpin policies at this intersection. I am currently editing a volume focused on the official record, oversight, national security and democracy. I am also interested in the US electoral system, and am Project Lead on 'The Covid-19 and Democracy Project' and '50 States or Bust!'
Among other publications, my work has been featured in The Independent, The Conversation, The Daily Express, Open Democracy and The Guardian.
Qualifications
- PhD, Kingston University
- MSc, Kingston University
- BA, Liverpool University
Domains
Over a decade of experience at Kingston University and Goldsmiths, University of London.
My research is broadly shaped by an interest in democracy.
My interests include:
- The relationship between national security, the official record and the rule of law
- US elections
- Executive power (particularly the US presidency)
I am currently co-editing a book on national security, the official record and the rule of law in a democratic context and am Project Lead on the Covid-19 and Democracy Project.
I am interested in supervising research in the above areas.
I am the Web Lead for the American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association and a regular media commentator.
I have published on teaching practice and PG networking.
Qualifications and expertise
- Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
- Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
-
Management of module teaching teams and research assistants at Kingston University
-
Management of Web Team of the American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association
-
Editor of various research and writing teams for reports and a forthcoming edited volume
- Academic Misconduct Lead
Publications
The official record : oversight, national security and democracy
Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert (2024). Manchester, U.K.: (Manchester University Press)
How to think about Trump 2.0
Finn, Peter, 2025, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
Generative AI and the nationalisation of U.S. politics
Bell, Lauren C., Finn, Peter, Tatum, Amy and Leicht, Caroline V., 2025, Journal of American Studies
The 2024 elections : four takeaways from Donald Trump's second inauguration
Finn, Peter, 2025, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : what Matt Gaetz’s failed Attorney General nomination may tell us about Trump 2.0
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
Why voters should care about what ChatGPT tells them about history and politics
Finn, Peter, Bell, Lauren C., Tatum, Amy and Leicht, Caroline, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : Donald Trump and his Republican Party triumph after a prolonged campaign
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : a race for the White House nearly two years in the making
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The rise and fall of Sue Gray
Finn, Peter, 2024, The Conversation
The 2024 elections : blue, red, purple, tipping point - how to read the states in this election
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Policy and Politics Blog
The 2024 elections : recent US history shows the assassination attempts against Trump are part of a longer trend of political violence
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : the presidential debate saw Kamala Harris play to her strengths as Donald Trump's playbook looks tired
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : election polls and how to read them
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
Assessing ChatGPT as a tool for research on US state and territory politics
Finn, Peter, Bell, Lauren C., Tatum, Amy and Leicht, Caroline Victoria, 2024, Political Studies Review
The 2024 elections : milestones to November in a recalibrated election race
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : Biden steps down as the wheels of history continue turning
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : how the official record of the Trump assassination attempt is unfolding in real time
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 UK election and the official record : documenting history in real-time
Finn, Peter, 2024, Descrier
During the election, the ‘official record’ is documenting UK history in real-time
Finn, Peter, 2024, The Conversation
The 2024 elections : why this year's presidential debates are a break from tradition
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : Donald Trump's guilty verdict is an historic event
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : five takeaways from the special counsel’s report on Biden, and what it might mean for the election
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : the road to Inauguration Day 2025
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
As a classic 'wicked problem', education funding presents awkward choices across the political spectrum ahead of the general election
Finn, Peter, 2024, Public Sector Focus, 50, pp 54-55
Education funding presents tough choices for school leaders and awkward ones for politicians
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : six ways to think about the 2024 US primary season
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : the Democratic primary calendar is a mix of compromise and political reality, setting up the party for a real contest in 2028
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : the Republican road to the 2024 presidential election
Finn, Peter, 2023, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : five steps to the 2024 primaries
Finn, Peter, 2023, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2024 elections : a new series on the contests for Congress and the White House
Finn, Peter, 2023, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog,
The 2024 Democratic Primary Calendar is not settled yet
Finn, Peter, 2023, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
How the 2022 midterms have set the stage for 2024 presidential election
Finn, Peter, 2023, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
The 2022 Midterms : Trump aside, the midterms had something for everyone
Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert, 2022, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
Freedom of Information legislation and the democratic oversight narrative
Finn, Peter, 2021, Critical Military Studies (7), 3, pp 335-354
Transatlantic twilight? The impact of the Mueller Investigation on US-Europe relations
Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert, 2018, Ante Portas – Security Studies (1), 10, pp 11-27
Book Review of 'Civilian warrior : the inside story of Blackwater and the unsung heroes of the war on terror' by David Cobourn and Erik Prince
Finn, Peter, 2014, Critical Studies on Terrorism (7), 3, pp 409-501
Should we trust news from AI? ChatGPT and political information
Leicht, Caroline, Finn, Peter, Bell, Lauren C. and Tatum, Amy (2024). In: Jackson, Daniel, (eds.), Carson, Andrea, (eds.), Danielle, Sarver Coombs, (eds.), Edgerly, Stephanie, (eds.), Thorsen, Einar, (eds.), Trevisan, Filippo, (eds.) and Wright, Scott, (eds.), U.S. Election Analysis 2024 : Media, Voters and the Campaign. Poole, U.K.: Bournemouth University, pp 104-104
‘Caveats were down’ : the Canadian official record and the treatment of Maher Arar
Finn, Peter (2024). In: Finn, Peter, (eds.) and Ledger, Robert, (eds.), The official record : oversight, national security and democracy. Manchester, U.K.: Manchester University Press
Introduction : the official record, oversight, national security and democracy
Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert (2024). In: Finn, Peter, (eds.) and Ledger, Robert, (eds.), The official record : oversight, national security and democracy. Manchester, U.K.: Manchester University Press
‘It’s Mueller time’ : the Mueller investigation, the official record and the rule of law
Finn, Peter (2024). In: Finn, Peter, (eds.) and Ledger, Robert, (eds.), The official record : oversight, national security and democracy. Manchester, U.K.: Manchester University Press
Preface : defining and 'reading' the official record
Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert (2024). In: Finn, Peter, (eds.) and Ledger, Robert, (eds.), The official record : oversight, national security and democracy. Manchester, U.K.: Manchester University Press
Towards 24 : shifts in the US election system
Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert (2023). In: Finn, Peter, (eds.) and Furse, Tom, (eds.), Exploring the 2023 Midterms. Political Studies Association, pp 46-51
Democratising teaching : student votes and module case studies
Finn, Peter (2022). In: Oprandi, Paolo, (eds.) and Betts, Tab, (eds.), 100 Ideas for Active Learning. Falmer, UK: University of Sussex Library
Grey areas and self-licking lollipops : Iraq War detention operations, impunity and complicity
Finn, Peter (2016). In: Afxentiou, Afxentis, (eds.), Dunford, Robin, (eds.) and Neu, Michael, (eds.), Exploring complicity : concept, cases and critique. London, U.K.:, pp 179-201
Exploring the 2022 US Midterms
Finn, Peter and Furse, Tom (2023). (Political Studies Association)
The Covid-19 pandemic, A Levels, and transitions to UK Higher Education
Finn, Peter, Cinpoes, Radu and Hill, Emily (2022). Kingston upon Thames, U.K.: (Kingston University)
Pandemic politics : Covid-19 and the 2020 US Electoral Cycle
Finn, Peter, Imiola, Madison and Ledger, Robert (2021). Kingston upon Thames, U.K.: (Kingston University)
Covid-19 and democracy, first cut policy analyses : country case studies
Finn, Peter, Cinpoes, Radu, Ichijo, Atsuko, Ledger, Robert, Nancheva, Nevena, Pettitt, Robin and Ranta, Ronald (2020). (Kingston University)
The PhD and the powerful
Finn, Peter (2020). London, U.K.: (British International Studies Association Postgraduate Network)
‘50 states or bust!’ roundtable
Finn, Peter, Tatum, Amy, Leicht, Caroline and Bell, Lauren C.(2024). In: 50th Annual Conference American Politics Group of the UK Political Studies Association, 4-6 January 2024 :London, U.K.
Towards 24 : Electoral shifts in the US election system, 2022-2024
Finn, Peter(2023). In: 49th annual conference of the American Politics Group of the UK Political Studies Association, 5-7 Jan 2023 :Leicester, U.K.
Democratising teaching : student votes and module case studies
Finn, Peter(2022). In: ALN Inaugural CPD Series, November 2022 : Session 3 : Empowering Learners, 22 Nov 2022 :Held online
Covid-19 and democracy : country case studies
Finn, Peter(2020). In: 11th Annual Faculty Research Conference: Contemporary Issues in Business and Social Science Research, 22 Jun 2020 :Kingston upon Thames, U.K.
The Mueller investigation, the official record and the rule of law
Finn, Peter(2020). In: Political Studies Association American Politics Group Annual Conference 2020, 03 - 05 Jan 2020 :Canterbury, U.K.
The preservation and destruction of the official record and truth
Finn, Peter(2019). In: 10th Annual Faculty Research Conference: Contemporary Issues in Business and Social Sciences in a period of uncertainty, 03 - 04 Jun 2019 :Kingston upon Thames, U.K.
UK remote warfare and the future of parliamentary oversight
Finn, Peter and Molyneux, Camilla(2019). In: Conceptualising Remote Warfare: The Past, Present and Future, 01 Mar 2019 :Canterbury, U.K.
Freedom of information legislation and the democratic oversight narrative : cause for pause?
Finn, Peter(2018). In: British International Studies Association (BISA) 43rd Annual Conference, 13 -15 Jun 2018 :Bath, U.K.
Excellence in teaching by post-graduate students
Finn, Peter(2016). In: British International Studies Association (BISA) 41st Annual Conference, 15 -17 Jun 2016 :Edinburgh, U.K.
Mapping the (in)effectiveness of royal prerogative oversight
Finn, Peter(2016). In: Who takes Britain to war?, 20 Jan 2016 :Leicester, U.K.
The US, the UK, the Iraq war, detention operations, impunity and complicity
Finn, Peter(2015). In: Complicity Conference, 31 Mar - 01 Apr 2015 :Brighton, U.K.
Questionable national security policies, clean operations strategies, ethics and the importance of the ‘other’
Finn, Peter(2014). In: European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) General Conference, 03 - 06 Sep 2014 :Glasgow. U.K.
Beyond Abu Ghraib – military detention, abuse, Iraq and US power
Finn, Peter(2013). In: British International Studies Association (BISA) 38th Annual Conference, 19 - 21 Jun 2013 :Birmingham, U.K.
Democratic impunity : the case of the Iraq war detention regime
Finn, Peter (2019), PhD thesis, Kingston University