Claudia Coveney

ESR Project Title: A History of European Disability Movements

Email: sschc@leeds.ac.uk

Claudia Coveney completed her undergraduate studies at University of Adelaide. Within these two degrees, she was able to complete an intensive study unit at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Turkey, and spend a year studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. During her time as an undergraduate student, Claudia also took part, in an intern capacity, in the establishment of Aliro Ltd., an NGO established in South Australia that works to maximise opportunities created through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for disabled people to live independently in fit-for-purpose housing. It was in this time that she realised her interest in not only the history of politics and international relations, but also the breadth of contemporary governance styles that can be seen today. 

This led Claudia to undertake a Masters in Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam, specialising in the area of policy networks and the changing nature of public decision-making. As ‘traditional’ government structures break down or fade into the background, new actors participate in these processes. Her primary interests lie in the consequences of these changes, the opportunities they bring for civil society groups and collective action, and the ways in which governance – from supra-national to local levels – filters into the lives of citizens every day.”