History & Political Science

Assistant Professor of Political Science

E-mail: mrincker@purduecal.edu

Office: CLO 290

Phone: 219/989-2025

Education

B.A. Illinois Wesleyan University (1998)
M.A. Washington University in St. Louis (2002)
Ph.D. Washington University in St. Louis (2006)

Curriculum Vitae

Teaching Interests

Professor Rincker teaches courses in International Relations,
Comparative Politics, European and Russian Politics, and Gender and Politics. Professor Rincker also teaches International Organizations, an experiential learning course featuring student participation in the four-day long
American Model United Nations International Conference in Chicago, Illinois.

Research Interests

Professor Rincker’s research interests are in the areas of political representation, political institutions, and public policy. Her research is published in Democratization, Journal of Women, Politics & Policy,
Publius: the Journal of Federalism, Perspectives on European Politics and Society, and PS: Political Science & Politics.

Dr. Rincker ‘s book manuscript is entitled What Women Want: Global Decentralization and Democratization. What Women Want uses 112 semi-structured interviews with women’s organization leaders, meso and national-level politicians in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Pakistan, showing that women have diverse policy priorities within these countries. This book demonstrates that meso politicians do a better job matching women’s policy priorities than their national counterparts. Further, meso politicians respond to women’s policy priorities when countries pursue Gender Inequality Offsetting and the Decentralization Trifecta. Gender Inequality Offsetting involves shifting resources to weaker meso units to bolster women’s organizations. The Decentralization Trifecta refers to the pursuit of gender candidate quotas, gender responsive budgeting, and women’s policy machinery at the level of governance to which power is being shifted.

Selected Publications

“Masculinized or Marginalized: Decentralization and Women’s Status in Regional Polish Institutions.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy (formerly Women & Politics) 30 (2009): 46-69.

“Leaders or Laggards: Engendering Subnational Governance through women’s policy machineries in Spain and Poland.” with Candice Ortbals. Democratization. 16 (2009): 269-97.

“Research Symposium: Fieldwork and Intersectionality: Negotiating Gender, Race, Class and Age in the Research Field Abroad: Editors’ Introduction.” PS: Political Science & Politics. with Candice Ortbals. 42 (2009): 287-290.

“Embodied Researchers: Gendered Bodies, Research Activity, and Pregnancy in the Field.” PS: Political Science & Politics. with Candice Ortbals. 42 (2009): 315-319.

“Politics Close to Home: the Impact of Meso-Level Institutions on Women in Politics.” with Candice Ortbals and Celeste Montoya Kirk. 2011. Publius: the Journal of Federalism. pp. 1-30. doi:10.1093/publius/pjr02.

“Dissatisfied with Decentralization: Explaining Citizen Evaluations of Poland’s 1998 Health Reforms.” with Martin F. Battle. 2011. Perspectives on European Politics and Society. Vol. 12 (3): 340-357.