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A Feminist Institutionalist Approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2014

Meryl Kenny
Meryl Kenny*
Affiliation:
University of Leicester
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Extract

The “institutional turn” in political science reflects a wider consensus among both feminist and mainstream scholars that institutions—broadly defined as the formal and informal “rules of the game”—deeply shape political life. Political institutions are also profoundly gendered. Yet, despite significant advancements in institutional analysis over the past few decades, gender politics scholars continue to grapple with how to “capture” the gendered character and gendering effects of institutions. This contribution explores how insights from feminist institutionalism (see, for example, Kenny 2007; 2013; Krook and Mackay 2011) can help us address these methodological challenges. It argues that a feminist institutionalist approach provides useful insights into the gendered foundations of political institutions, the operation and importance of informal institutions, and the general and gendered mechanisms of continuity and change.

Type
Critical Perspectives on Gender and Politics
Information
Politics & Gender , Volume 10 , Issue 4 , December 2014 , pp. 679 - 684
Copyright
Copyright © The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association 2014 

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