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Your Master's dissertation with LSE LIFE
A research project has many stages and the end product - a dissertation - is a major piece of writing. There's a lot to think about, but LSE LIFE can help you find your way with resources, events, and one-to-one advice at every step of the way! We're open and doing things every weekday, throughout the whole academic year and summer break, until your hand-in deadline.
Get off to a good start .
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Master's research
Prize winning msc dissertations.
Master's students undertake a dissertation as part of all our MSc programmes , allowing them to further develop their research in areas of interest. Each year a prize is awarded to the dissertation with distinction that receives the highest mark across each of our MSc programmes. Read some of our students' recent prize winning MSc dissertations below.
Visit the GV499 course page for information on our masters dissertation course.
Joint Winners of the MSc Comparative Politics Prize for Best Dissertation
Varieties Of Exports, Varieties Of Growth: The Institutional Determinants Of Growth Model Variation Among Coordinated Market Economies . | Thomas Prendergast
Issue Ownerships And Party Polarisation: Does The Effect Of Issue Ownership Considerations On The Vote Choice Depend On The (Relevant) Party Polarisation In An Individual’s Consideration Set? | Michael Stirnimann
Joint Winners of the MSc Conflict Studies Prize for Best Dissertation
Killing The Dead: The Logic Of Cemetery Destruction During Genocidal Campaigns. | Noa Krikler
Second MSc Conflict Studies Joint Prize-Winning Dissertation Not Published.
Winner of the MSc Global Politics Prize for Best Dissertation
Evaluating The International Criminal Court’s Performance: An Empirical Study Of The Court’s Deterrence Effects In Darfur, Sudan. | Maximillian Hörtnagl
Joint Winners of the MSc Political Science and Political Economy Prize for Best Dissertation
Restricting The Citizen’s Initiative: An Analysis Of Policy Adoption And Proposal In U.S. States. | Allegra Dawes
Local Political Responsiveness To Electoral Pressures On Corruption: Evidence From An Anti-Corruption Referendum In Colombia. | Hannah Fölsz
Joint Winners of the MSc Political Theory Excellent Dissertation Award
Towards A Postcolonial Contract: Revisiting Malaysia's Grand Bargain. | Aiman Mohammad Caezar
The Seed Of A Good Life: Why Societies Should Support Parents. | Felix Westerén
Winner of the MSc Public Administration and Government Prize for Best Dissertation
Factionalism, Competition And Efficiency In Russian Banking. | Alexander Soldatkin
Joint Winner of the Peter Self Prize (MSc Public Policy And Administration) for Best Dissertation
Determinants Of Open Government And Transparency Reforms: An Exploratory Study Of Provincial Governments In Argentina. | Julia Amerikaner
Second MSc Public Policy and Administration Joint Prize-Winning Dissertation Not Published.
Winner of the MSc Regulation William Robson Prize for Best Dissertation
The Political Independence Of Regulatory Agencies: A Critical Appraisal Of A “Magic Concept” And Perspectives For Its Reconceptualization. | Elisa Cartesi
Best MSc Comparative Politics Dissertation Prize-winner
'A War Against our Values?' - An Actor-Centred Comparison of Anti-Immigration Framing in the UK, Netherlands and France | Joshua Kay
Best MSc Conflict Studies Dissertation Joint Prize-winners
Truth and Reconciliation Commissions: Global Norm or Passing Trend? | Claire Williams
Rebel Strength and Post-Agreement Conflict: A Disaggregated Analysis | Konrad Pialucha
Are French Muslims Constructed as a "Suspect Community"? A Critical Discourse Analysis of French Right-Wing Newspaper Coverage of Islamist Terrorism Between 1995 and 2015 | Etienne Koeppel
Prize for Best MSc Global Politics Dissertation
The Forest Stewardship Council and Colonialism: A Critical Anti-Colonial Analysis of the Forest Stewardship Council's Normative Framework | Yumann Siddiq
Prize for Best MSc Political Theory Dissertation
Data Ownership, Fraud and the Tainted AI: On the Unjust Means in the Development of Artificial Intelligence | Ricky Li
Joint Prize for Best MSc Political Science and Political Economy Dissertation
The Mass Media of Remembering: The Role of TV in Coming to Terms with the Nazi Past | Luis Bosshart
In Europe We Trust? An Examination into the Determinants of Citizen Trust in the European Union and European Institutions, and the Factors Leading to Extreme Political Views Among EU Citizens | Ailbhe Brioscu
Prize for best MSc Public Policy and Administration dissertation (not published).
Prize for best msc public administration and government dissertation.
Female Representation and the Substantive Representation of Women's Interests by Male MPs | Luxia Broadbent
Prize for best MSc Regulation dissertation
What Counts in CEO Appointments in State-Owned Enterprises? Evidence from Chile, 1990-2018 | Pablo Torres
Prize for Best MSc Comparative Politics Dissertation
Generational Effects and Support for the European Union in the UK: Political Socialisation During World War II | Kieran Devine
Prize for Best MSc Conflict Studies Dissertation
The Effectiveness of Women’s Leadership – Recognising and Addressing Wartime Sexual Violence | Elisabet Olafsdottir
Business for Climate: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Policy Support and Opposition from Transnational Companies | Daniel Witte
The Political as a Theological Problem in the Thought of Carl Schmitt | Jack Hutchison
Prize for best MSc Political Science and Political Economy dissertation
Ballot-Structure and Corruption: A Natural Experiment from French Municipal Elections | Sebastian Law
Prize for best MSc Public Public Policy and Administration dissertation
Federalism’s Flaw: Does Decentralisation Enable the Violation of International Labour Law? | Evan Stubbings
Can Zombies be Rational? Investment, policy uncertainty and the Role of SOEs in China | Anthony Ng
What Affect Bureaucratic Attitudes Toward the Reform of Integrated Administrative Executive System: Evidence from the Practices in two Chinese Municipalities | Fangda Ding
(no prize awarded)
Voting Islamist or Voting Secular? An Empirical Analysis of Election Outcomes in Tunisia’s Democratic Transition 2011-2014 | Sapandeep Maini
Transitional Justice Beyond EU Conditionality: Post-Accession Backsliding in Croatia from a Rational Institutionalist Perspective | Tijana Recevic
Discourse Contestation, Deliberation, and the Democratization of Global Governance: Evaluating the Labour Migration-and-Development Arena Against the ‘Discursive Democracy’ Ideal | Cazadira Tamzil
A Disputed State: the Nature and Practice of Political Philosophy in Michael Oakeshott’s Early Writings | Samuel Louis Bickler
The Scope of Public Reason Under Non-Ideal Conditions: Introducing the Interference View | Henrik Dahlquist
The Revolving Door for Political Elites: An Empirical Analysis of the Linkages between Government Officials’ Professional Background and Financial Regulation | Elisa Wirsching
Prize for best MSc Public Policy and Administration dissertation.
Measuring Transforming Rehabilitation’s Impact on Public Service Motivation | Matthew Walker
How to apply Go to 'Study at LSE' to find out more
What do our Graduates do next? Go to 'LSE Careers' to find out more
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Sofia Gerace
February 15th, 2022, writing a dissertation at lse: advice from a master’s student.
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
As part of your degree at LSE, you’re probably going to write a dissertation. Each department has different requirements and topics vary between the different disciplines taught at LSE. Anyway, after talking with some academics and some of my classmates, I thought that sharing some advice would help different students across different departments!
How to Find a Research Question
If you have no idea where to start doing your research, do not worry. You are not alone. I was feeling the same when started preparing my dissertation and I was afraid to be the only one struggling with coming up with a research question. But I can assure you that many other students do feel the same. Even my academic mentor told me so: “it is difficult for everyone at the beginning, but then, once you start, things will become easier”. The first thing to do is thinking of a topic that might be interesting to you. What do you enjoy reading about? What are the papers you find fascinating? What is an area that you would not get tired of reading about it? This is the key to start. The dissertation is a long project and you’d better work on a topic that you actually enjoy!
Reaching out to Academic Mentor and Other Professors
If you have some ideas but you are not sure about it, do reach out to your academic mentor and other academics. Professors at LSE are used to deal with research questions and will be able to tell you whether your research idea works or if you need to improve it. Also, at LSE you will probably find professors who are experts in the field that you find interesting! Last week, I was reading about research conducted in a field I am interested in and discovered that the professor teaches at LSE. Long story short: I booked an office hour with him and he was happy to share his advice with me and help me with my research question.
Finally, do not forget to have a look at the events and teaching sessions organised by LSE LIFE ! They have many different services to help you with your academic studies and they are there to help you with the dissertation as well. They organise specific events about coming up with research questions and writing a dissertation’s proposal which you could find helpful!
About the author
I'm Sofia, an italian student at the LSE. Apart from being passionate about my MSc in Political Economy of Europe, I enjoy learning foreign languages, visiting new countries, and writing stories about my life as international student.
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Master's Dissertation Prize 2021
Congratulations to Yasmina Burgan (MSc Strategic Communications, Department of Media and Communications), Maya Fawzi (MSc Conflict Studies, Department of Government) and Sara Albertini (MSc International Social and Public Policy, Department of Social Policy) for their prize-winning dissertations!
The field for the 2021 Master's Dissertation Prize was strong and covered a range of topics within the field of Middle East Studies. We are pleased to award a joint first prize to Yasmina’s dissertation on digital activism in Palestine and also Maya’s study of the emotional experiences of second-generation Iraqis in the UK. The judges award the second prize to Sara’s analysis of the impact of higher education reforms for a knowledge economy in the Middle East and North Africa.
For the joint winning dissertation by Yasmina Burgan , the selection committee remarked: 'This systematic study of Palestinian digital activism was very impressive. With a strong command of the scholarly literature and in-depth qualitative interviews, the author generates a rich series of original insights on digitally mediated activism.'
For the other joint winning dissertation by Maya Fawzi , the selected committee commented: 'This is an outstanding dissertation on the emotional connections to Iraq of second-generation British Iraqis. Informed by a theory of emotional transnationalism, the author sensitively engages with her interviewees to uncover, and account for, their diverse place-based attachments.'
The selection committee also commended the runner-up dissertation by Sara Albertini , stating: 'This dissertation on higher education reforms in Jordan features an incisive analysis of the reasons why efforts to create a knowledge economy remain elusive. The findings on the marketisation of education have high policy relevance across the Middle East and North Africa.'
Launched by the LSE Middle East Centre in 2018, this prize is awarded annually to the most innovative and significant LSE Master’s dissertation focussing on the MENA region.
For all enquiries, please contact Kendall Livingston, Projects Coordinator: [email protected]
Yasmina Burgan | MSc Strategic Communications
Joint 1st Prize: 'Digital Mediated Activism and the Palestinian Struggle for Liberation'
Maya Fawzi | MSc Conflict Studies
Joint 1st Prize: 'Connecting to Iraq: Understanding Second-generation Experience through Emotion'
Sara Albertini | MSc International Social and Public Policy
2nd Prize: 'An Analysis of the Impact of Higher Education Reforms for a Knowledge Economy in the Middle East and North Africa'
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COMMENTS
Welcome to LSE Theses Online, the online archive of PhD theses for the London School of Economics and Political Science. LSE Theses Online contains a partial collection of completed and examined PhD theses from doctoral candidates who have studied at LSE. ... We would like to hear from past and current LSE PhD candidates, particularly if you ...
The archive of prizewinning dissertations showcases the best MSc dissertations from previous years. These offer a useful guide to current students on how to prepare and write a high calibre dissertation. 2021/2022. 2022-OW (PDF) The Politics of Political Conditionality: How theEU Is Failing the Western Balkans.
Departments (146) Law (146) Number of items at this level: 146. Misra, Tanmay (2023) The invention of corruption: India and the License Raj. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science. Garcés de Marcilla Musté, Mireia (2023) Designing, fixing and mutilating the vulva: exploring the meanings of vulval cutting.
Browse by Sets. Number of items at this level: 323. Liao, Junyi (2023) Essays on macroeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science. Matcham, William Oliver (2023) Essays in household finance and innovation. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science. Leonardi, Edoardo (2023) Essays on heterogeneity ...
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global - comprehensive collection of dissertations (PhD) and theses ... London School of Economics and Political Science. Houghton Street. London. WC2A 2AE UK . LSE is a private company limited by guarantee, registration number 70527. +44 (0)20 7405 7686.
Lieutaud, Marion (2021) Paths of inequality: migration, inter-relationships and the gender division of labour. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science. Amini, Babak (2021) "Council democratic" movements in the First World War era: a comparative-historical study of the German and Italian cases.
Browse past exam papers for copies of papers from the previous seven years. Ejournals. Search ejournal titles from the Library's collection using the A-Z list. ... London School of Economics and Political Science. Houghton Street. London. WC2A 2AE UK . LSE is a private company limited by guarantee, registration number 70527. +44 (0)20 7405 7686.
Browse by Sets. Number of items at this level: 253. Finighan, Reuben (2023) Stabilising liberal societies in a world of radical innovation: committed actors, adaptive rules, and the origins of social order. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science. Parmigiani, Alberto (2023) Three essays on economic and political inequality ...
LSE Theses Online contains full text, final examined versions of theses accepted for the qualification of Doctorate at the London School of Economics and Political Science. LSE Theses Online does not contain Master's dissertations, please contact the relevant department directly if you are seeking to access a Master's dissertation.
These MSc dissertations have been selected by the editor and deputy editor of the Media@LSE Working Paper Series and consequently, are not the responsibility of the Working Paper Series Editorial Board. 2022-23. No 313 The App Keeps the Score: Period-Tracking Apps, Self-Empowerment and the Self as Enterprise, Martina Sardelli.
Reading past dissertations can equally be helpful but be careful of plagiarism. Research is the lifeblood of any academic community, so feel proud that you are contributing to the furtherance of human knowledge. ... Email a link to this page Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn. London School of Economics and Political Science. Houghton Street ...
Regardless of topic, your dissertation should demonstrate the following skills: Defining and outlining a research topic. Defining a clear research question. Identifying salient issues. Finding or generating relevant information. Evaluating the information's reliability and validity.
An excellent source of ideas and guidance on ways to approach your dissertation is past dissertations from your department. Explore past dissertations and ask yourself ... London School of Economics and Political Science. Houghton Street. London. WC2A 2AE. UK . LSE is a private company limited by guarantee, registration number 70527.
Create a great dissertation. A dissertation is a big project. It's a piece of independent research, but that doesn't mean you're supposed to do it alone! There is plenty of support in your department, among your classmates, and at LSE LIFE—across the entire academic year. We're here to help you get a head start - whether it's ...
A research project has many stages and the end product - a dissertation - is a major piece of writing. There's a lot to think about, but LSE LIFE can help you find your way with resources, events, and one-to-one advice at every step of the way! We're open and doing things every weekday, throughout the whole academic year and summer break, until ...
Student Research. Masters level history students should be willing to engage in detailed historical research. In preparing a dissertation, students are provided with guidance about how to choose an appropriate topic, how to identify and locate the necessary sources, and how to write up their research findings. This is done through a combination ...
Prize winning MSc dissertations. Master's students undertake a dissertation as part of all our MSc programmes, allowing them to further develop their research in areas of interest. Each year a prize is awarded to the dissertation with distinction that receives the highest mark across each of our MSc programmes.
Prizewinning Dissertation 2022 No.22-SC ... Department of International Development London School of Economics and Political Science Houghton Street Tel: +44 (020) 7955 7425/6252 London Fax: +44 (020) 7955-6844 WC2A 2AE UK Email: [email protected] ... striven so hard to lighten over the past decades. The progress made through the Brady Plan ...
To this end we recently launched a Working Paper series to share prizewinning students' dissertations in full. You can view the dissertations here: Student Prizewinning Working Papers. If you don't have time to read them in full, the abstracts will give you a flavour of the wide range of economic history topics and approaches. As you ...
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes. As part of your degree at LSE, you're probably going to write a dissertation. Each department has different requirements and topics vary between the different disciplines taught at LSE. Anyway, after talking with some academics and some of my classmates, I thought that sharing some advice would help ...
Prize winning MSc dissertations. Master's students undertake a dissertation as part of all our MSc programmes, allowing them to further develop their research in areas of interest. Each year a prize is awarded to the dissertation with distinction that receives the highest mark across each of our MSc programmes.
The field for the 2021 Master's Dissertation Prize was strong and covered a range of topics within the field of Middle East Studies. We are pleased to award a joint first prize to Yasmina's dissertation on digital activism in Palestine and also Maya's study of the emotional experiences of second-generation Iraqis in the UK.