PhD Students

Benjamin Moffitt

Benjamin is a PhD candidate and Postgraduate Teaching Fellow in the Department and Government and International Relations. He holds an Australian Postgraduate Award and University of Sydney Merit Award. He was awarded the inaugural Sydney Democracy Initiative PhD Collaboration Fellowship at the WZB (Berlin Social Science Research Centre) in 2011.

Working at the intersection of political theory and political sociology, Benjamin’s research focuses on the relationship between contemporary populism and democracy around the world, with a particular focus on representation, media, governance and crisis.

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Guy-Francis Vella

Guy did his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History at the University of NSW before going to work in the communications and finance industry in Australia and Asia. He subsequently completed a Masters in Business Information Technology at UTS and the a Masters in International Studies at the University of Sydney.

Guy is now doing a Masters of Philosophy in the School of Government and International Relations. His research is focusing on the European Union, democratic theory, institutionalism, and the role of cultural identity in the EU’s so-called “democratic deficit”.

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Adele Webb

Adele’s current research builds upon seven years experience as a researcher, lobbyist and strategist in the global justice movement, including five years as Director of Sydney-based NGO Jubilee Australia. She has degrees in Law and Arts from the University of NSW, Development Studies from the University of South Africa, and recently completed a Master of Science in Political Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences.

Adele’s research focuses on the Philippines’ experience of democracy. The study explores how ‘democracy‘ and ‘democratisation‘ have been defined in the Philippines since the imposition of ‘colonial democracy’ in the early twentieth century, and the impact of community perceptions and beliefs about democracy on efforts to challenge social and political inequality.

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