Whilst at Oxford University, he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain, remaining a member until 1953 when he concluded that membership conflicted with his academic independence.
He reached the rank of Major and finished his service as Chief Instructor at the Army School of Education in Maynyo, Burma.
After two years at the Coopers Hill Emergency Training College, in 1948 he was appointed a Lecturer in Public Administration at the University of Leeds.
He became known for his work in these fields in developing countries, particularly India and in Africa, leading to many invitations to teach and lecture abroad.
Other areas of study included parliamentary reform and the teaching of political science in universities in Britain.