Gordon Smith (1927 – 2009) was a British lecturer, professor and political scholar in the field of German and comparative European politics, who served as

Head of Department A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

for Government at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

. He is said to have been one of Britain's leading scholars of comparative European politics.

Life

Having been stationed by the British army in

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following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Smith completed his Economics (

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

) degree at the London School of Economics upon his return to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Following several years in the personnel management of private companies and teaching civics to day-release apprentices at Bournemouth Municipal College, Smith completed a part-time doctorate on the political system of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1964. After having been appointed to a lectureship at London North East Polytechnic (today the

University of East London , mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows , established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...

), he published his first book, ''Politics in Western Europe'', wherein a comparison of the political systems of the 19 Western European countries was presented. Due to a heightened recognition of the publication and positive reception, Smith was appointed as a senior lecturer at the LSE thereafter, and served a spell as the Head of Department for Government. Smith collaborated with Vincent Wright, Klaus Goetz and

Peter Mair Peter Mair (3 March 1951 – 15 August 2011) was an Irish political scientist. He was professor of Comparative Politics at the European University Institute in Florence. Career Peter Mair was born in Rosses Point, County Sligo, Ireland, and st ...

to establish the academic journal ''

West European Politics ''West European Politics'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal of comparative politics focusing on Western Europe. It was established in 1978 and serves as one of the main publication venues in that field. Its founding editors-in-chief were Vince ...

'' in 1978. Smith also co-founded the journal ''German Politics'' and helped establish the European Political Science Research Consortium and the Association for the Study of German Politics, whose chairman he was from 1986 to 1988. He was later elected an honorary Vice-Chairman. He rejected the opinion of some colleagues that political processes can be explained through generalizations; instead, he viewed the history and culture of a country indispensable and essential in understanding political developments and changes.

The Vincent Wright and Gordon Smith Memorial Prize

The Vincent Wright Memorial Prize was established in 1999 to honour the memory of Vincent Wright. Following the untimely death of Smith in 2009, the award was renamed to the Vincent Wright and Gordon Smith Memorial Prize. Two prizes are awarded annually on the recommendation of members of the editorial advisory board for the best articles published in the journal during the preceding year.

Publications

Books

*''Politics in Western Europe: A comparative analysis'', 1972 (); 5. 1989 () *''Democracy in Western Germany. Parties and politics in the Federal Republic'', 1979 (); 3. 1986 () *As editor, with William E. Paterson: ''The West German model. Perspectives on a stable state'', 1981 () *As editor, with Herbert Döring: ''Party government and political culture in Western Germany'', 1982 () *As editor: ''Developments in West German politics'', 1989 () *As editor, with Peter Mair: ''Understanding party system change in Western Europe'', 1990 () *As editor: ''Developments in German politics'', 1992 () Gordon Smith was, alongside Vincent Wright, editor of the journal ''

'' (from 1978, ISSN 0140-2382). Together with a group of political scientists, he participated in the founding of the journal ''German Politics'' in 1992 (ISSN 0964-4008).

Commemorative publications

*''Continuity and change in German politics''. ''Beyond the politics of centrality? A Festschrift for Gordon Smith, ed. Stephen Padgett and Thomas Poguntke'', 2002. A commemorative publication dedicated to Smith entailing a bibliography of Smith's publications.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Gordon Alumni of the London School of Economics 1927 births 2009 deaths British political scientists 20th-century political scientists