The Department of Social & Policy Sciences is delighted to welcome Professor Gary Goertz to the University of Bath for a five month stay as a Parkin Professor. Professor Goertz has a distinguished academic research record in peace studies and social science research methodology.

During his five month stay in Bath, he is looking forward to focusing on current research into global drivers of peace in the international system, the evolution of regional economic institutions in conflict management, and on the revision of his seminal book, expanding its treatment to include additional indicators, particularly of poverty.

James Copestake, Director of the Centre for Development Studies, who proposed Professor Goertz for the prestigious Parkin Professorship, is very much looking forward to working with and learning from Professor Goertz over the coming months. He said: "Whether global or local, the contemporary challenges we face demand methodological rigour and joined-up thinking across disciplines. Achieving both at the same time is not easy. As a champion of the 'research triad' (causal mechanism theory, within-case inference and large-n cross-case inference), I am hopeful that Gary Goertz’s presence on campus over the next few months can help."

Professor Goertz is currently collaborating with the German Development Evaluation Institute over the development of multi-method tools for evaluation. Being at Bath will enable him to expand on this work by linking up with UK initiatives to improve impact evaluation, particularly peace building in fragile and conflict affected areas.

His previous publications include Contexts of International Politics, Explaining War and Peace (2007) and War and Peace in International Rivalry (2000). Some of his methodological works are Social Science Concepts: A User's Guide (2006), Politics, Gender, and Concepts: Theory and Methodology (2008), A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences (2012), and Multimethod research, causal mechanisms and case studies: an integrated approach (2017).

Professor Goretz will also be here with his wife Caryl Flinn who is a Professor of Film Studies at the University of Michigan, USA.