Phone: 0121 204 4267

Email: [email protected]

Office: NW820D

I am a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations. Prior to joining Aston as a Lecturer in 2018, I was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter (UK). I received my PhD in Politics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain) in November 2015.

My research agenda is driven by a fundamental interest in the internal organization, and the electoral and governmental behaviour of political parties. To date, the primary purpose of my research has been to understand how political parties face changes in the political system and, hence, the party system where they compete. Parallel to this, my research has also focused on two additional issues linked to political parties, the main characteristics and behaviour of middle-level party elites and party activists and parties' adaptation to digitalisation. 

Political parties and party systems

Party members and activists

Party digitalisation

Comparative federalism and devolution

Spanish politics

Patricia is interested in supervising PhD students researching in the following areas:

• Political parties
• Spanish politics
• Territorial politics

• CA23114 Regaining linkage? Digital technologies improving civic engagement, political organisations and democracy (RELINK²) - Management Committee 

• DIGiPART La revolución digital de los partidos

• Digital Parties Research Network
• GREP Grup de Recerca sobre Elits i Partits
• CEDAR The Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation
• REPRESENT Research Centre for the Study of Parties and Democracy 
• Women in Politics, Research Network, Aston University

• LP2100 Comparative Government and Politics
• LP3109 LP3110 LP3111 LP3112 Research Skills and Dissertation
• LP3055 Political Parties
• LPM218 Research Design in the Social Sciences

Member of the Political Parties Standing Group Committee, ECPR https://ecpr.eu/group/political-parties

Dr Vila's research focuses on political parties and party systems, party members and activists, party digitalisation and comparative federalism and devolution.