I specialise in comparative public policy. This includes comparisons of policy theories (e.g. Understanding Public Policy, 2012), policy outcomes in different countries (Global Tobacco Control, 2012 (with Donley Studlar and Hadii Mamudu)), Scottish politics and policy (The Scottish Political System Since Devolution, 2011 and Scottish Politics 2nd ed, 2013 with Neil McGarvey), comparisons of UK and devolved government policymaking (‘Has Devolution Changed the British Policy Style?’, British Politics, 3, 3, 350-72) and comparisons of policy outcomes across the UK (‘Policy Convergence, Transfer and Learning in the UK under Devolution’, Regional and Federal Studies, 22, 3, 289-307 with Michael Keating and Eve Hepburn). I am currently writing a single-authored book entitled 'Policy and Policymaking in the UK' (see http://paulcairney.wordpress.com/policymaking-in-the-uk/) and co-editing (with Robert Geyer) a book on complexity theory and its applications to policymaking. From October 2013-15 I will be funded by the Economic and Social Research Council to research the policymaking process in Scotland, focusing on areas such as preventative spending and the Scottish budget process.