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Dr Ben Worthy

Positions held:
  • Reader in Politics and Public Policy, School of Social Sciences
  • Overview

    Overview

    Biography

    I joined ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú College in 2012. My research interests include Government Transparency, particularly Freedom of Information, as well as Political Leadership and British Politics.Ìý

  • Research

    Research

    Research interests

    • Government transparency and openness, particularly Freedom of Information
    • Political leadership
    • British politics

    Research overview

    I am a political scientist interested in how contemporary democracies function, with a focus on government transparency and political leadership.

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    Recent blogs and articles

    -Ridda, Maria,ÌýWorthy, BenÌý(2026)Ìý‘What happened after Colston?Ìý‘ LSE British Politics and Policy BlogÌý

    -Ben Worthy and Martin Rosenbaum (2025) 'Government by WhatsApp? Covid, Transparency and Government by Text' 12 Dec 2025 Political Quarterly Blog

    Ìý-Ben Worthy (2025) ‘Trump’s War on Transparency: Information is power, and information removed is power weakened,’ 19 Sep 2025 ÌýLiberal Currents

    Ìý_______________________________________________________

    See my talk on using FOI for academic research from FOIfest 2026

    Research Centres and Institutes

    Research projects

    Who's Watching Parliament? Monitory Democracy at Westminster.

    Abstract

    Ìý

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    Ìý

    Outcomes

    Final Report and Project Blog

    • See the final report and an executive summaryÌýÌý
    • View the project website

    Articles

    • Worthy, B., & Langehennig, S. (2025). Accountability, analysis and avoidance: How PMO data impacts on Westminster. The Journal of Legislative Studies, 31(1), 1-19.
    • Worthy, B., Morgan, C., & Langehennig, S. (2025). Watching the wheels: who is monitoring lobbying at Westminster?. Interest Groups & Advocacy, 1-28.

    Chapter

    • Ben Worthy and Stefani Langehennig (2023) Chapter 20 ‘Continuous virtual surveillance in a new space? Monitory democracy at Westminster’ in Psarra, S., Staiger, U., Sternberg, C., & Melvin, J. (2023). Parliament Buildings: The architecture of politicsin Europe, UCL, pp 311-325 Ìý()

    Evidence and Blogs

    • LSE Policy and Politics Blog (2021)ÌýÌý
    • LSE Policy and Politics Blog (2020) '
    • LSE Policy and Politics Blog (2020) 'Ìý

    A Vexing Problem: Minimizing Government Harm from Nuisance Public Records Requests While Preserving Access for the Public Good

    Abstract

    This project explores theÌýmisuse and ‘weaponisation’ of FOI laws, comparing the experience of the US and UK, while also looking at the impact of new technology, especially AI, on FOI regimes.Ìý

    Outcomes

    Articles/Papers

    • Worthy, B., Kimball, S., Piotrowski, S., & Cuillier, D. (2024). Vexatious requests: Sound and fury or things fall apart? Presented at the 8th Annual Global Conference on Transparency Research,Ìý

    Slides

    • Worthy, B (2025) 'Access to Information, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Democracy' presentationÌý. Ìý

    Ìý

    The Impact of Freedom of Information

    Abstract

    Ongoing work on the impact of FOI and transparencyÌý

    Outcomes

    Articles

    • Worthy, B., & Waugh, M. (2024). 'More open, more democratic or better at hiding? Two decades of local government transparency in the UK'. Local Government Studies, 50(6), 1062-1073 (open access )

    Blogs

    • Ben Worthy (2025) , 19 Sep 2025 Liberal CurrentsÌý
    • Worthy, B. (2025). . Political Insight, 16(4), 34-36.Ìý
    • Ben Worthy (2025) ‘ Constitution Unit Blog
    • Ben Worthy (2025) 'Donald Trump is plunging government websites into darkness, with profound consequences for American democracy', 11 Feb 2025 LSE United States Politics and Policy
    • Ben Worthy (2025) Politics Home 4 March 2025

    Ìý

  • Supervision and teaching

    Supervision and teaching

    Teaching

    Teaching modules

    • Parliamentary Studies
    • Public Policy: Interests, Ideas, Institutions
    • Contemporary British Politics
  • Publications

    Publications

    Article

    • Worthy, Benjamin and Bennister, M. and Giovannini, A. (2026) . The Political Quarterly ISSN 0032-3179. (In Press)
    • Worthy, Benjamin and Rosenbaum, M. (2026) . Political Quarterly ISSN 1467-923X.
    • Worthy, Ben and Langehennig, Stefani and Morgan, Cat (2025) . Interest Groups & Advocacy 14 (3), pp. 166-193. ISSN 2047-7414.
    • Worthy, Ben (2025) . Political Insight 16 (3), pp. 31-33. ISSN 2041-9058.
    • Worthy, Ben and Bennister, M. (2024) . British Journal of Politics and International Relations ISSN 1369-1481.
    • Worthy, Ben and Waugh, M. (2024) . Local Government Studies ISSN 0300-3930.
    • Worthy, Ben and Richards-Gray, Laura and Smith, J.C. (2023) . British Politics ISSN 1746-918X.
    • Worthy, Ben and Crepaz, M. (2023) . Parliamentary Affairs ISSN 0031-2290.
    • Worthy, Ben (2023) . Public Money & Management ISSN 0954-0962.
    • Worthy, Ben and Cicatielloa, L. and De Simone, E. and Di Mascioc, F. and Gaeta, G.L. and Natalini, A. (2022) . Government Information Quarterly 39 (2), pp. 101678. ISSN 0740-624X.
    • Worthy, Benjamin and Morgan, Cat and Langehennig, Stefani (2022) . Political Insight 13 (2), pp. 22-25. ISSN 2041-9058.
    • Worthy, Ben and Langehennig, Stefani (2022) . The Journal of Legislative Studies ISSN 1357-2334.
    • Worthy, Benjamin (2022) . Political Quarterly ISSN 1467-923X.
    • Worthy, Benjamin and Bennister, M. (2021) . British Politics 16, pp. 295-316. ISSN 1746-918X.
    • Worthy, Ben (2021) . Political Insight 12 (1), pp. 32-34. ISSN 2041-9058.
    • Worthy, Benjamin and Heide, M. (2019) . Public Integrity 21 (6), pp. 582-594. ISSN 1099-9922.
    • Worthy, Benjamin and Bennister, M. and Stafford, M. (2018) . British Politics 14, pp. 23-43. ISSN 1746-918X.
    • Grimmelikhuijsen,, S. and John,, P. and Meijer,, A. and Worthy, Benjamin (2018) . Journal of Behavioral Public Administration 1 (2), pp. 1-10. ISSN 2576-6465.
    • Worthy, Benjamin and John, P. and Vannoni, M. (2017) . Journal of Public Administration Research And Theory 27 (3), pp. 485-500. ISSN 1477-9803.
    • Worthy, Benjamin and Hazell, R. (2017) . Parliamentary Affairs 70 (1), pp. 22-42. ISSN 0031-2290.
    • Worthy, Benjamin (2016) . Political Quarterly 87 (4), pp. 509-517. ISSN 1467-923X.
    • Michener, G. and Worthy, Benjamin (2015) . Administration & Society 50 (4), pp. 476-500. ISSN 0095-3997.
    • Meijer, A. and 't Hart, P. and Worthy, Benjamin (2015) . Administration & Society 50 (4), pp. 501-526. ISSN 0095-3997.
    • t'Hart, P. and Bennister, M. and Worthy, Benjamin (2015) . West European Politics 38 (3), pp. 417-440. ISSN 0140-2382.
    • Worthy, Benjamin (2015) . Public Administration 93 (3), pp. 788-805. ISSN 1467-9299.
    • Worthy, Benjamin (2014) . Parliamentary Affairs 67 (4), pp. 783-803. ISSN 1460-2482.
    • Worthy, Benjamin (2013) . Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice 15 (5), pp. 395-414. ISSN 1387-6988.
    • Hazell, R. and Bourke, G. and Worthy, Benjamin (2012) . Public Administration 90 (4), pp. 901-921. ISSN 1467-9299.
    • Worthy, Benjamin (2010) . Governance 23 (4), pp. 561-582. ISSN 1468-0491.
    • Hazell, R. and Worthy, Benjamin (2010) . Government Information Quarterly 27 (4), pp. 352-359. ISSN 0740-624X.
    • Worthy, Benjamin (2008) . Political Quarterly 79 (1), pp. 100-108. ISSN 1467-923X.

    Book

    • Worthy, Benjamin (2017) . Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719097676.
    • Worthy, Benjamin and Amos, J. and Hazell, R. and Bourke, B. (2011) . London, UK: The Constitution Unit, Department of Political Science, University College, London. ISBN 9781903903629.
    • Hazell, R. and Worthy, Benjamin and Glover, M. (2010) . Understanding Governance. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230250345.

    Book section

    • Worthy, Ben (2025) . In: Beech, M. and Norton, P. (eds.) Elgar Companion to Margaret Thatcher. Elgar. pp. 261-275. ISBN 9781035345304.
    • Worthy, Ben (2023) . In: Mokrosinska, D. (ed.) Transparency and Secrecy in European Democracies. Routledge Research in Comparative Politics. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. pp. 39-56. ISBN 9780367620318.
    • Worthy, Ben and Langehennig, Stefani (2023) . In: Psarra, S and Steiger, U and Sternberg, C. (eds.) Parliament Buildings: The Architecture of Politics in Europe. London, UK: UCL Press. pp. 311-324. ISBN 9781800085367.
    • Worthy, Ben (2022) . In: Gordon, M and Tucker, A (eds.) The New Labour Constitution: Twenty Years On. Hart Studies in Constitutional Law. London, UK: Hart Publishing. pp. 153 -175. ISBN 9781509924653.
    • Worthy, Benjamin (2016) . In: Bignami, F. and Zaring, D. (eds.) Comparative Law and Regulation: Understanding the Global Regulatory Process. Research Handbooks in Comparative Law. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 190-214. ISBN 9781782545606.
    • Hazell, R. and Worthy, Benjamin (2013) . In: Pasquier, M. (ed.) Le principe de transparence: En Suisse et dans la monde. Lausanne, Switzerland: PPUR. pp. 95-110. ISBN 9782880749835.

    Conference item

    • Worthy, Ben and Bennister, M. (2026) . PSA26 Annual Conference, 2026, Oxford, UK
    • Worthy, Ben and Kimball, S. and Cuillier, D. and Piotrowksi, S. (2024) . Global Conference Transparency Research, 2024, Brussels, Belgium
    • Worthy, Benjamin (2016) . Open Government Partnership, 2016, Paris, France
    • Worthy, Benjamin and Grimmelikhuijsen, S. (2012) . The Transatlantic Conference on Transparency Research, 2012, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
    • Bennister, M. and Worthy, Benjamin (2012) . In Defence of Politics, 2012, Belfast
    • Worthy, Benjamin and Bourke, G. (2011) . Transforming Politics: New Synergies, 2011, London, UK

    Monograph

    • Worthy, Benjamin and Morgan, Cat and Langehennig, Stefani (2022) . ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú, University of London.
    • Worthy, Benjamin and Bourke, G. (2011) . London, UK: Constitution Unit, UCL.