Jacob Davey is a Research Manager at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a global counter-extremism organisation dedicated to powering new generations against hate and extremism. Jacob co-leads ISD’s research into the extreme right, specialising in the role of communications technologies in intercommunal conflict, the use of internet culture in information operations, and the extreme right globally. In addition to driving ISD’s research into the extreme-right, Jacob leads on a range of projects focusing on piloting new approaches to disrupting and pushing back against extremist messaging online in partnership with civil society and tech-industry clients. He regularly provides commentary on counter-extremism issues and has provided expert advice to national and local policymakers on issues including the communication tactics of extremist groups, extreme right activism, and the delivery of online counter-extremism initiatives. Jacob holds a Master’s from UCL where his research focussed on the role of heritage destruction in Islamic State propaganda.
Specialist research areas:
Internet culture and extremism; communication strategies of the extreme right; election disruption and disinformation; international coalition-building and the extreme right; online hate-speech; cumulative radicalisation; online and offline counter-extremism interventions.
Available for consultation in the following areas:
Policy formation / reports; government consultancy; third sector / charity engagement; live / pre-recorded media interviews (including print, online, radio and television); and editorials.
Publications:
Jacob has written widely on counter-extremism strategy and the extreme right. Examples of recent work include:
- ‘The mainstreaming of far-right extremism online and how to counter it: a case study on UK, US and French elections’ in Trumping the Mainstream(Upcoming Routledge)
- Mainstreaming Mussolini – How the Extreme Right Attempted to ‘Make Italy Great Again’ in the 2018 Italian Election (2018, ISD)
- Counter-conversations: A model for direct engagement with individuals showing signs of radicalisation online (2018, ISD)
- The Fringe Insurgency: Connectivity, Convergence and Mainstreaming of the Extreme Right (2017, ISD)
