School of Sociology and Social Policy

Research Interests

My primary research interests revolve around the area of evidence-based policy-making. More specifically, I am fascinated by the thorny relationship between evidence production and policy formulation, where the role of evidence is often seen to be absent. The areas of drugs and crime are central to this.

Teaching

I mainly teach in the area of crime and related issues.  I currently convene the Level One Module - ‘Deviance, Crime and Social Control’ and the Level Two Module – ‘Drugs: Society, Policy and Politics'.  In 2012, along with Dr Simon Prideaux, I will be teaching a new module on Organised Crime and Violence.

PhD Supervision

I am keen to supervise potential students with an interest in the following areas:
 
- The policy-making process in any guise
- The relationship between research/evidence utilisation/evaluation and policy formulation
- Drugs: society, policy and politics
- Crime and criminal justice policy

Key Publications

Book

Monaghan, M. (2011) Evidence Versus Politics: Exploiting Research in UK Drug Policy Making? Bristol: Policy Press

Journal Articles

Monaghan, M. (2010) Adversarial Policies and Evidence Utilisation: Modelling the Changing Evidence and Policy Connection, German Policy Studies 6 (2) 17-52

Monaghan, M. (2010) 'The Complexity of Evidence: Reflections on Research Utilisation in a Heavily Politicised Policy Area', Social Policy and Society, 9 (1) 1-12

Monaghan, M.P. (2008) ‘The Evidence-Base in UK Drug Policy: The New Rules of Engagement’, Policy and Politics , 36 (1) 145-50

Monaghan, M.P. (2008) ‘Appreciating Cannabis: The Paradox of ‘Evidence’ in Evidence-Based Policy-Making, Evidence and Policy, 4 (2) 209-31