Benjamin Leruth

Benjamin Leruth

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy

University of Melbourne

About me

Thank you for taking the time to visit my personal website. I am a Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the University of Melbourne specializing in comparative welfare policy and politics, political long-termism, democratic innovations, transnational governance and differentiation.

I am currently working on three research projects.

The first one, “Exploring Political Long-Termism” (funded by the Dutch Research Council), aims at understanding what motivates citizens to favour policies that might be costly in the near future but deliver benefits in the long run. I recently published a research agenda piece on the matter: it can be accessed here.

The second project, entitled “Rebuilding Governance and Resilience out of the Pandemic” (REGROUP), focuses on learning policy lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, and I lead a Work Package in which we conduct a transnational, multi-level citizens' jury on citizens' attitudes towards pandemic governance and how to draw lessons from the pandemic for future pandemic management. You can read more about this in my Methodological Brief, which elaborates on the multi-level deliberative design we implemented, as well as a short documentary summarising the project’s design and results.

The third project focuses on patterns of welfare state opposition. This resulted in the publication of a special issue of the Journal of European Social Policy, co-edited with Gianna Maria Eick.

I am also the Editor-in-Chief of Acta Politica.

I recently published work focusing on:

  1. How differentiation serves as a vehicle for the long-term sustainability and institutional robustness of the EU;
  2. How innovative task environments might stimulate citizens' political efficacy;
  3. How citizens think of and support welfare policies in the long term.

You can find more information about my current projects and publications below. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you’d like to discuss project ideas, collaborations, or even just for a casual chat.

Interests

  • Comparative welfare policy and politics
  • The politics of long-termism
  • Transnational governance
  • European integration
  • Democratic innovations

Education

  • PhD in Political Science, 2014

    University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom)

  • LL.M. in European Law, 2011

    University of Kent (United Kingdom)

  • BA in Political Science, 2010

    University of Namur (Belgium)

Experience

 
 
 
 
 

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy

University of Melbourne

Jul 2024 – Present Melbourne, Australia
  • Editor of Acta Politica (since 2021)
  • Deputy Director of the Master of Public Policy and Administration (since 2025)
 
 
 
 
 

Assistant Professor in Politics and Society

University of Groningen

Sep 2019 – Jul 2024 Groningen, The Netherlands
  • Editor of Acta Politica (since 2021)
  • Chair of the Young Academy Groningen (2022-23)
  • Coordinator of the Agricola School for Sustainable Development’s Democracy and Governance theme (2021-23)
  • Programme coordinator, BA European Languages and Cultures (2020-23)
  • Programme committee member, BA European Languages and Cultures (2019-20)
 
 
 
 
 

Assistant Professor in Public Administration

University of Canberra

Jun 2017 – Aug 2019 Canberra, Australia
  • Director of the Master of Public Administration (2017-19)
  • Affiliated to the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance & the Centre for Change Governance
 
 
 
 
 

Research Associate

University of Kent

Feb 2015 – May 2017 Canterbury, United Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 

Teaching Fellow in French and European Politics

University of Bath

Sep 2014 – Jan 2015 Bath, United Kingdom
Fixed-term teaching position

Teaching

Over the past ten years, I have been designing introductory and specialised courses on a wide range of topics and aimed at different audiences, from first-year undergraduate students to senior Australian and Indonesian public servants.

I am also a regular contributor to the University of Agder’s European Integration Summer School. I was invited to give guest lectures on comparative welfare policy, Euroscepticism and differentiation at several universities, including Auckland (New Zealand), Oslo (Norway), Minho (Portugal) and the Free University of Brussels (Belgium).

In my teaching, I always seek to promote the work of female and early-career colleagues. The following syllabus (which I developed for a BA2 research seminar on “Crises and Euroscepticism”) may be of interest to colleagues seeking to offer a gender-balanced reading list.

Most recent courses taught (reading lists can be sent on demand):

P&S 1: European (Dis)Integration (LEU053P05)

P&S 2: Applied Research Methods (LEU054P05)

P&S 5: Research Seminar: Differentiation and Transnational Governance (LEU051B05)

P&S 7: Theorizing European and Global Politics 2 (LEU115B05)

P&S LS 1: French Politics and Society (LEU064B05)

Master Seminar: Democratic Innovations (LYX017M10)

Research

Exploring the Politics of Long-Termism (Dutch Research Council)

Long-term challenges such as climate change and the ageing population are becoming increasingly urgent to address. Yet, thinking long-term is one of the most difficult tasks citizens and policy-makers face, as they deal with uncertainties, risks, and electoral constraints in a world driven by political myopia.
Exploring the Politics of Long-Termism (Dutch Research Council)

REGROUP: Rebuilding Governance and Resilience out of the Pandemic (Horizon EU)

The COVID-19 pandemic came at the end of a decade of social, economic, and political crises for Europe. It stalled economic recovery and affected democratic politics and governance throughout the continent, calling for institutional transformation at various levels.
REGROUP: Rebuilding Governance and Resilience out of the Pandemic (Horizon EU)

The Transformation of Welfare States: Long-term challenges and opportunities

What lies ahead for the welfare state? What are the causes and consequences of welfare state opposition in the public sphere?
The Transformation of Welfare States: Long-term challenges and opportunities

Differentiation in the European Union and the implications of Brexit on transnational governance

What are the causes and consequences of differentiation in the European Union? What impact does Brexit have on patterns of opposition to European integration?
Differentiation in the European Union and the implications of Brexit on transnational governance

Media

I regularly comment on contemporary political events, such as domestic and European elections. I worked with several media outlets such as the BBC, STV, The Scotsman, Heart Radio, Vers l’Avenir and Radio France Internationale. In 2016, I offered live comments and analyses on the Brexit referendum for the Belgian francophone television (RTBF). I also contributed to a BBC World Service radio broadcast entitled “Why do we need the State?” with Timothy Snyder and Adrian Wooldridge.

Here are some of my recent contributions to the public debate:

I am available to provide comments (in English or French) related to my field of expertise (contemporary politics and elections, Euroscepticism, welfare policy, and democratic innovations).

Contact