Dr Peter Finn
Faculties, departments and locations
- Faculty of Business and Social Sciences
- Department of Criminology, Politics and Sociology
- School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences
- Penrhyn Road
Senior Lecturer, and Events Officer for department
- Email:
- [email protected]
About
I am a multi-award-winning Lecturer in the Department of Criminology, Politics and Sociology. I am interested in the intersection between national security and human rights, as well as the logic(s) that underpin policies at this intersection. I am currently editing a volume focused on the official record, oversight, national security and democracy. I am also interested in the US electoral system, and am Project Lead on 'The Covid-19 and Democracy Project' and '50 States or Bust!'
Among other publications, my work has been featured in The Independent, The Conversation, The Daily Express, Open Democracy and The Guardian.
Qualifications
- PhD, Kingston University
- MSc, Kingston University
- BA, Liverpool University
Domains
Over a decade of experience at Kingston University and Goldsmiths, University of London.
My research is broadly shaped by an interest in democracy.
My interests include:
- The relationship between national security, the official record and the rule of law
- US elections
- Executive power (particularly the US presidency)
I am currently co-editing a book on national security, the official record and the rule of law in a democratic context and am Project Lead on the Covid-19 and Democracy Project.
I am interested in supervising research in the above areas.
I am the Web Lead for the American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association and a regular media commentator.
I have published on teaching practice and PG networking.
Qualifications and expertise
- Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
- Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
-
Management of module teaching teams and research assistants at Kingston University
-
Management of Web Team of the American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association
-
Editor of various research and writing teams for reports and a forthcoming edited volume
- Academic Misconduct Lead
Publications
The 2026 midterms: what to expect on this year’s electoral calendar
Finn, Peter, 2026, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2026 midterms: why we should be wary of what GenAI tells us ahead of next year’s elections
Finn, Peter, Bell, Lauren C., Tatum, Amy and Leicht, Caroline V., 2025, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2026 midterms: Election Day 2025 was a good one for the Democrats
Finn, Peter, 2025, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2026 midterms: the most likely midterm scenario may be an electoral draw where the Democrats win the House, but not the Senate
Finn, Peter, 2025, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2026 midterms: what the government shutdown may mean for the midterms
Finn, Peter, 2025, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
Generative AI and the nationalisation of U.S. politics
Bell, Lauren C., Finn, Peter, Tatum, Amy and Leicht, Caroline V., 2025, Journal of American Studies, E-pub ahead of print
The 2026 midterms: the issues that may define next year’s elections
Finn, Peter, 2025, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
MAHA report, GenAI, the Official Record, and democracy
Finn, Peter, 2025, Political Studies Association News, Published
The Make America Healthy Again report shows how AI can undermine the US Official Record, and democracy
Finn, Peter, 2025, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
Why misleading employment and reoffending stats matter
Porter, Cody, Zloteanu, Mircea and Finn, Peter, 2025, Public Sector Focus (July/August)pp 48, Published
Misleading percentages: the impact of statistical reporting on the offender employment post-release data
Porter, Cody, Finn, Peter and Zloteanu, Mircea, 2025, Political Studies Review, E-pub ahead of print
The road to the 2026 USA midterm elections
Finn, Peter, 2025, LSE USAPP United States Policy and Politics Blog, Published
9 reasons you should be wary of generative artificial intelligence tools
Finn, Peter, Bell, Lauren C., Tatum, Amy and Leicht, Caroline V., 2025, Descrier, Published
Pete Finn on “It’s Mueller time”
Ledger, Robert and Finn, Peter, 2025, The Official Record Podcast, Published
How to think about Trump 2.0
Finn, Peter, 2025, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: four takeaways from Donald Trump's second inauguration
Finn, Peter, 2025, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: what Matt Gaetz's failed Attorney General nomination may tell us about Trump 2.0
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
Why voters should care about what ChatGPT tells them about history and politics
Leicht, Caroline, Finn, Peter, Bell, Lauren C. and Tatum, Amy, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: Donald Trump and his Republican Party triumph after a prolonged campaign
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: a race for the White House nearly two years in the making
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The rise and fall of Sue Gray
Finn, Peter, 2024, The Conversation, Published
The 2024 elections: blue, red, purple, tipping point - how to read the states in this election
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Policy and Politics Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: recent US history shows the assassination attempts against Trump are part of a longer trend of political violence
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: the presidential debate saw Kamala Harris play to her strengths as Donald Trump's playbook looks tired
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: election polls and how to read them
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
Assessing ChatGPT as a tool for research on US state and territory politics
Finn, Peter, Bell, Lauren C., Tatum, Amy and Leicht, Caroline Victoria, 2024, Political Studies Review, E-pub ahead of print
The 2024 elections: milestones to November in a recalibrated election race
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, E-pub ahead of print
The 2024 elections: Biden steps down as the wheels of history continue turning
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: how the official record of the Trump assassination attempt is unfolding in real time
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
During the election, the 'official record' is documenting UK history in real-time
Finn, Peter, 2024, The Conversation, Published
The 2024 UK election and the official record: documenting history in real-time
Finn, Peter, 2024, Descrier, Published
The 2024 elections: why this year's presidential debates are a break from tradition
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: Donald Trump's guilty verdict is an historic event
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: five takeaways from the special counsel's report on Biden, and what it might mean for the election
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: the road to Inauguration Day 2025
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
As a classic 'wicked problem', education funding presents awkward choices across the political spectrum ahead of the general election
Finn, Peter, 2024, Public Sector Focus, 50pp 54-55, Published
Education funding presents tough choices for school leaders and awkward ones for politicians
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: six ways to think about the 2024 US primary season
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: the Democratic primary calendar is a mix of compromise and political reality, setting up the party for a real contest in 2028
Finn, Peter, 2024, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
Fifty States or bust!
Finn, Peter and Bell, Lauren C., 2024, Podcast Series, Published
The 2024 elections: the Republican road to the 2024 presidential election
Finn, Peter, 2023, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: five steps to the 2024 primaries
Finn, Peter, 2023, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 elections: a new series on the contests for Congress and the White House
Finn, Peter, 2023, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2024 Democratic Primary Calendar is not settled yet
Finn, Peter, 2023, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
How the 2022 midterms have set the stage for 2024 presidential election
Finn, Peter, 2023, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
The 2022 Midterms: Trump aside, the midterms had something for everyone
Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert, 2022, LSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog, Published
Criminology, politics, and sociology
Finn, Peter, 2022, Criminology, Politics, and Sociology Podcast, Published
Freedom of Information legislation and the democratic oversight narrative
Finn, Peter, 2021, Critical Military Studies (7), 3pp 335-354, Published
The Covid-19 and democracy podcast
Finn, Peter, 2020, Podcast Series, Published
Transatlantic twilight? The impact of the Mueller Investigation on US-Europe relations
Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert, 2018, Ante Portas - Security Studies (1), 10pp 11-27, Published
Education should be a right for all
Dixon, Paul, Favretto, Ilaria, Finn, Peter, Smart, Jackie, Spencer, Philip, Stockhammer, Engelbert, Stuart, John, Suess, Eleanor, Giaxoglou, Korina, Goldsmith, Carlie, Hallward, Peter, Hawkins, Sue, Swift, Allan, Upstone, Sara, Vallee-Tourangeau, Frederic, Wells, Julian, Wilson, Scott, Haywood, Peter, Higginbottom, Andrew, Ichijo, Atsuko, Isaac, Marina, Jensen, Meg, Kayyali, Reem, Kettyle, Ann, Lambrou, Marina, Latimer, Amanda, Linton, Marisa, Lipsedge, Karen, Malabou, Catherine, O Maoilearca, John, McQuillan, Martin, Micklethwaite, Paul, Morgan Wortham, Simon, O'Brien, Catherine, Blackburn, Robert, Botting, Fred, Brady, Mary, Osborne, Peter, Pinnock, Winsome, Piper, Jason, Choat, Simon, Chu, Jonathan, Cinpoes, Radu, Coultas, Valerie, Dines, Martin, Caygill, Howard, Chadwick, Howard, Chanter, Tina, Roberts, Mike, Rogers, David, Sandford, Stella, Searby, Michael, Siddiki, Jalal Uddin, Ponto, Maria, Raphael, Sam, Reid, Trish, Agnew, Eadaoin, Alliez, Eric and Auerbach, Paul, 2014, The Guardian, Published
Book Review of 'Civilian warrior: the inside story of Blackwater and the unsung heroes of the war on terror' by David Cobourn and Erik Prince
Finn, Peter, 2014, Critical Studies on Terrorism (7), 3pp 409-501, Published
The official record: oversight, national security and democracy
(2024). Manchester, U.K.: [Published]
The Covid-19 pandemic, A Levels, and transitions to UK Higher Education
Finn, Peter, Hill, Emily and Cinpoes, Radu (2022). Kingston upon Thames, U.K.: (Kingston University) [Published]
Pandemic politics: Covid-19 and the 2020 US Electoral Cycle
Imiola, Madison, Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert (2021). Kingston upon Thames, U.K.: [Published]
Covid-19 and democracy, first cut policy analyses: country case studies
Ichijo, Atsuko, Nancheva, Nevena, Ledger, Robert, Ranta, Ronald, Cinpoes, Radu and Pettitt, Robin (2020). [Published]
The PhD and the powerful
Finn, Peter (2020). London, U.K.: (British International Studies Association Postgraduate Network) [Published]
GenAI Rockstars? Exploring the limits of GenAI via tour posters
Finn, Peter (2025). In: Linsey, Tim, Leung, Wayne, (eds.), Kingston upon Thames, U.K.:pp 36-37 [Published]
Should we trust news from AI? ChatGPT and political information
Leicht, Caroline, Finn, Peter, Bell, Lauren C. and Tatum, Amy (2024). In: Jackson, Daniel, Carson, Andrea, Danielle, Sarver Coombs, Edgerly, Stephanie, Thorsen, Einar, Trevisan, Filippo, Wright, Scott, (eds.), Poole, U.K.:pp 104-104 [Published]
'Caveats were down‘: the Canadian official record and the treatment of Maher Arar
Finn, Peter (2024). In: Finn, Peter, Ledger, Robert, (eds.), Manchester, U.K.: [Published]
Introduction: the official record, oversight, national security and democracy
Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert (2024). In: Finn, Peter, Ledger, Robert, (eds.), Manchester, U.K.: [Published]
'It‘s Mueller time‘: the Mueller investigation, the official record and the rule of law
Finn, Peter (2024). In: Finn, Peter, Ledger, Robert, (eds.), Manchester, U.K.: [Published]
Preface: defining and 'reading' the official record
Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert (2024). In: Finn, Peter, Ledger, Robert, (eds.), Manchester, U.K.: [Published]
Towards 24: shifts in the US election system
Finn, Peter and Ledger, Robert (2023). In: Finn, Peter, Furse, Tom, (eds.)pp 46-51 [Published]
Democratising teaching: student votes and module case studies
Finn, Peter (2022). In: Oprandi, Paolo, Betts, Tab, (eds.), Falmer, UK: [Published]
Grey areas and self-licking lollipops: Iraq War detention operations, impunity and complicity
Finn, Peter (2016). In: Afxentiou, Afxentis, Dunford, Robin, Neu, Michael, (eds.), London, U.K.:pp 179-201 [Published]
'50 states or bust!‘ roundtable
Finn, Peter, Tatum, Amy, Leicht, Caroline and Bell, Lauren C.(2024). [Published]
Towards 24: Electoral shifts in the US election system, 2022-2024
Finn, Peter(2023). [Accepted/In press]
Democratising teaching: student votes and module case studies
Finn, Peter(2022). [Published]
Covid-19 and democracy: country case studies
Finn, Peter(2020). [Published]
The Mueller investigation, the official record and the rule of law
Finn, Peter(2020). [Published]
The preservation and destruction of the official record and truth
Finn, Peter(2019). [Published]
UK remote warfare and the future of parliamentary oversight
Finn, Peter and Molyneux, Camilla(2019). [Published]
Freedom of information legislation and the democratic oversight narrative: cause for pause?
Finn, Peter(2018). [Published]
Excellence in teaching by post-graduate students
Finn, Peter(2016). [Published]
Mapping the (in)effectiveness of royal prerogative oversight
Finn, Peter(2016). [Published]
The US, the UK, the Iraq war, detention operations, impunity and complicity
Finn, Peter(2015). [Published]
Questionable national security policies, clean operations strategies, ethics and the importance of the 'other‘
Finn, Peter(2014). [Published]
Beyond Abu Ghraib - military detention, abuse, Iraq and US power
Finn, Peter(2013). [Published]
Democratic impunity: the case of the Iraq war detention regime
Finn, Peter (2019), PhD thesis [Accepted/In press]