RESEARCH INTERESTS
Political Institutions
Representation
Identity Politics
Book Manuscript Summary
In my book manuscript, Gender Tactics: Understanding the Representation of Women in American Foreign Policy Legislation, I analyze how and why women and girls are written into American foreign policy in the US Congress. I explore what motivates members of Congress, with limited time and resources, to legislate on behalf of foreign women and compare the policy objectives of what I call women’s foreign policy (WFP) legislation. I apply a mixed-method approach from a feminist theoretical perspective. I created two original datasets for this project. First, the Women’s Foreign Policy Legislation Dataset, which includes all WFP introduced between 1973-2020. Second, my Congressional Women’s Foreign Policy Entrepreneurship Dataset includes information on all members of Congress between 2005-2010, including WFP bill sponsorship. To illustrate the nuances of the WFP policy process, I conduct qualitative case study analyses on specific pieces of women's foreign policy legislation during two Congresses (Unified-Democratic, Unified-Republican). First, I focus on the three most widely supported women’s foreign policy bills introduced during the 111th Congress (2009-10): 1) a bill supporting the ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); 2) the International Violence Against Women Act of 2010 (IVAWA); and 3) the International Protecting Girls from Child Marriage Act of 2009. All three failed. Second, I investigate the three women's foreign policy bills that successfully passed into statute in the 115th Congress (2017-2018): 1) the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017; 2) the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 (WEEE Act); and 3) the Protecting Girls Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act of 2017. These six brief case study chapters reveal much about the workings of Congress and the internal political dynamics that led to opposition and bipartisan support for WFP legislation.
Articles
"What is American Feminist Foreign Policy? A Brief Analysis of the Representation of Women in American Foreign Policy Legislation, 1973–2020." SAIS Review of International Affairs 41, no. 1 (2021): 85-97.
"Aborting Global Women's Rights: The Boundaries of Women's Representation in American Foreign Policy." Politics & Gender (2020): 1-28.
"Representing All Women, An Analysis of Congress, Foreign Policy, and the Boundaries of Women’s Surrogate Representation" Political Research Quarterly, March 2017
Political Institutions
Representation
Identity Politics
Book Manuscript Summary
In my book manuscript, Gender Tactics: Understanding the Representation of Women in American Foreign Policy Legislation, I analyze how and why women and girls are written into American foreign policy in the US Congress. I explore what motivates members of Congress, with limited time and resources, to legislate on behalf of foreign women and compare the policy objectives of what I call women’s foreign policy (WFP) legislation. I apply a mixed-method approach from a feminist theoretical perspective. I created two original datasets for this project. First, the Women’s Foreign Policy Legislation Dataset, which includes all WFP introduced between 1973-2020. Second, my Congressional Women’s Foreign Policy Entrepreneurship Dataset includes information on all members of Congress between 2005-2010, including WFP bill sponsorship. To illustrate the nuances of the WFP policy process, I conduct qualitative case study analyses on specific pieces of women's foreign policy legislation during two Congresses (Unified-Democratic, Unified-Republican). First, I focus on the three most widely supported women’s foreign policy bills introduced during the 111th Congress (2009-10): 1) a bill supporting the ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); 2) the International Violence Against Women Act of 2010 (IVAWA); and 3) the International Protecting Girls from Child Marriage Act of 2009. All three failed. Second, I investigate the three women's foreign policy bills that successfully passed into statute in the 115th Congress (2017-2018): 1) the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017; 2) the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 (WEEE Act); and 3) the Protecting Girls Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act of 2017. These six brief case study chapters reveal much about the workings of Congress and the internal political dynamics that led to opposition and bipartisan support for WFP legislation.
Articles
"What is American Feminist Foreign Policy? A Brief Analysis of the Representation of Women in American Foreign Policy Legislation, 1973–2020." SAIS Review of International Affairs 41, no. 1 (2021): 85-97.
"Aborting Global Women's Rights: The Boundaries of Women's Representation in American Foreign Policy." Politics & Gender (2020): 1-28.
"Representing All Women, An Analysis of Congress, Foreign Policy, and the Boundaries of Women’s Surrogate Representation" Political Research Quarterly, March 2017
