As part of our Practical Liberalism series Dr John Meadowcroft will speak to us about his research into the far-right English Defence League.

What can an economist say about the EDL?

Looking at the issue from the perspective of public choice theory, Dr Meadowcroft's research asks how can dissident, far-right groups overcome the collective action problem inherent to political organisation in order to recruit enough activists willing to bear the costs of participation and not free-ride on the participation of others? 

Dr John Meadowcroft is Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Director of Postgraduate Research in the Department of Political Economy. He was Head of the Department of Political Economy from January 2013 to August 2014.

Dr Meadowcroft is Series Editor of a multi-volume collection, Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers, published by Continuum (hardback 2009 – 2011; paperback 2013). He serves on the Academic Advisory Council of the Institute of Economic Affairs, on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Routledge book series Annals of Bioethics and on the Editorial Board of Economic Affairs.