Experts of the future: From musician to researcher

Why did you become a researcher?

Before I became a researcher, I was living a completely different life. I spent many years in the music industry, which led me from my home in South Africa to England for a job opportunity. At a certain point I decided to have a career, so I earned a bachelor degree and then a master here at CBS. I found it interesting to delve into questions that could not be answered by books or articles, so pursuing a PhD made perfect sense to me. 

What is the focus of your thesis?

I am studying the composition of public and private financing of political parties and how this affects candidates and political parties, particularly during election campaigns. My first articles have focused on South Africa and Denmark, respectively. In Denmark, a ministry is responsible for regulating political financing, whereas in South Africa this role is filled by the Independent Electoral Commission. The commission's independence ensures that politicians cannot appoint their friends to lead the organisation; it has its own processes and its own governor who is elected for an indefinite period and who cannot be fired, so they are in a great position to control the election in South Africa without being influenced by politicians.  

How can your knowledge benefit others?

I hope that my knowledge will help voters understand the questions they need to ask their politicians. It is about making politicians accountable and prevent them from making political decisions for their own personal gain. Politicians have their skin in the game so to speak. If politics were a game, they would assume the roles of both referee and player. 

Which other researcher do you admire most?

In the field of political financing, Sam Power. He wrote a book in which he compares Denmark and Great Britain from a regulation perspective. He examines how Denmark went from being an absolute monarchy to having the first political parties, tracing their support base and their growth over time. 

What do you consider the most important discovery within your field of research?

Probably Sam Power arguing that we should see political financing as a problem, as they make the rules but are also active participants. This hypothesis changes the power relations between politicians, other stakeholders and society. It is a key point which we tend to push aside and not reflect further upon, and that creates problems which I think have become very evident in some of the countries that are on top of the Corruption Perceptions Index. We cannot outsource or change the role of politicians, but we should definitely keep Sam Power’s points in mind when we discuss political financing.

What is your greatest strength – and weakness?

I am very stubborn. That is my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. It saves me a lot of energy to say no sometimes. I think stubbornness can be a weakness if you wish to please people around you. On the other hand, it may also present as a great strength in terms of maintaining your focus regardless of how much pressure and resistance you are faced with. 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I have three children, so I spend most of my time with my children. Currently, I spend a lot of time with my oldest daughter, as I have become her basketball coach. So, I spend Monday evening and Saturday afternoon teaching basketball and of course on tournaments, which makes me focus on something completely different than political financing. 

Which historical person do you admire the most?

I admire a lot of people, but one of them is Steve Biko, the South African anti-apartheid activist in the 60s and 70s. He was killed in 1977 and was so to speak the father of the black consciousness movement in South Africa. He was deeply committed to achieving political equality in the country. In fact, I knew one of his sons. We went to school together. I was bullied a lot, and his son was the only one to protect me because he was four years older than me. I will never forget that. Clearly, at the time I had no idea how important his father had been in the history of South Africa. Personally, I look up to him and his interpretation of the political environment in South Africa. 

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

My mother and I had this conversation last week. She reminded me that I wanted to be a garbage man when I grew up. I think it was because they were friendly and said hello to whomever they met while they were doing a job critical to society. 
 

Read more about Julian Gerrard Blaauw-Mølbæk