University of Leicester expert in political marketing joins fellowship of outstanding social scientists

A University of Leicester expert in political marketing and propaganda has been elected to the Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences. 

Professor of Political Marketing, Paul Baines, is one of 74 outstanding social scientists to be welcomed to the Fellowship in 2026.

The Academy’s Fellowship comprises 1,600 leading social scientists from academia, the public, private and third sectors who have demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing social science knowledge and practice.

Professor Baines has been recognised for his outstanding contributions to political marketing and counter-propaganda studies. His work has explored political marketing in elections and referendums, the propaganda of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and hostile states, including how to counter it, and government communications more generally. 

“I am deeply honoured to be appointed as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences,” said Professor Baines. “It's a great privilege to join such a distinguished Academy to strengthen the relevance and impact of political marketing and propaganda studies, in the UK and globally. Social sciences are critical to understanding how we run governments to achieve the most positive impacts on societies.”

President of the Academy, Will Hutton FAcSS, said: “I’m delighted to welcome these leading social scientists to the Academy’s Fellowship this spring. Their substantial contributions have furthered knowledge and our understanding in tackling a wide range of societal challenges including working with Indigenous communities in the Arctic to better understand climate risk, memory retrieval processes in legal contexts, social inequalities, economic policy and tackling hate crime. We look forward to working with them to further promote the important role the social sciences play in our daily lives.”