My current work is focused on political reason and liberal government. I was associated early on in my career - over twenty years ago - with the beginnings of governmentality studies in the UK, especially in relation to the history of public health, bio-politics and medical regulation. Subsequently I have developed my interests in the direction of the history of social thought, and more recently in the direction of political theory and political ethics, focusing on topics to do with trust, representation, liberalism, political fear and populism. I currently hold a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship covering these areas.