Having a degree and Masters with a focus on public, European and local government law in France, Eleanor has also taken part in an internship in a local strategic partnership (LSP) exploring issues of partnership working at the local level.
Eleanor’s area of research builds on this past experience and relates to issues of policy-making and organisational change in local government, taking a qualitative approach. Eleanor articulates concepts of discourse, articulation and hegemony within a genealogical and critical logics approach in order to understand how past struggles and historical events in local authorities influence their interpretation of government policies. Although interested in the national definitions of austerity or commissioning, Eleanor has focused her research on the local dynamics of policy-making and change. Thus she asks herself about the structure versus agency debate: what role, especially within a discursive approach, do individuals play in mediating/interpreting/articulating national and international discourses alongside local traditions and coalitions?
Eleanor also lectures in comparative politics, public policy-making, organisation studies and comparative public administration.