IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/devchg/v51y2020i5p1271-1295.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Politics of Engagement: Gender Expertise and International Governance

Author

Listed:
  • Özlem Altan‐Olcay

Abstract

This article studies the experiences of gender experts in international institutions of governance and examines their interactions with multiple actors in the governance system as they negotiate their authority to act as experts. Moving beyond binaries, such as those on the inside of hegemonic institutions versus those on the outside, or co‐optation versus activism, the analysis uses processes of instrumentalization as a vantage point to lay out the multiple paths emerging in these politics of engagement. The article frames politics of engagement in terms of micropolitical tensions, ambivalences and contradictions that unfold in these interactions. It first argues that the boundaries that exist between inside and outside institutions are not clear cut because actors circulate between them. The study shows how gender experts instrumentalize their own life and career trajectories, navigating between advocacy and governance, to enhance their power in current institutional settings. It then focuses on instrumentalist discourses and traces their emergence in unequal negotiations. It demonstrates how gender experts can become part of the processes that they also critique. Finally, the study analyses strategies in which experts instrumentalize institutional inequalities to their advantage to produce diverse political possibilities with open‐ended outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Özlem Altan‐Olcay, 2020. "Politics of Engagement: Gender Expertise and International Governance," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 51(5), pages 1271-1295, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:devchg:v:51:y:2020:i:5:p:1271-1295
    DOI: 10.1111/dech.12609
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/dech.12609
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/dech.12609?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Elise Klein, 2017. "The World Bank on Mind, Behaviour and Society," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 48(3), pages 481-501, May.
    2. Anne Marie Goetz & Rob Jenkins, 2018. "Feminist Activism and the Politics of Reform: When and Why Do States Respond to Demands for Gender Equality Policies?," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 49(3), pages 714-734, May.
    3. Shahra Razavi, 2012. "World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development— A Commentary," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 43(1), pages 423-437, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Saskia Vossenberg, 2014. "Beyond the Critique: How Feminist Perspectives Can Feed Entrepreneurship Promotion in Developing Countries," Working Papers 2014/14, Maastricht School of Management.
    2. Hannah Gichungi & Beatrice Muriithi & Patrick Irungu & Gracious Diiro & John Busienei, 2021. "Effect of Technological Innovation on Gender Roles: The Case of Fruit Fly IPM Adoption on Women’s Decision-Making in Mango Production and Marketing in Kenya," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(3), pages 407-426, June.
    3. Bhalotra, Sonia R. & Karlsson, Martin & Nilsson, Therese, 2015. "Infant Health and Longevity: Evidence from a Historical Trial in Sweden," IZA Discussion Papers 8969, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Bhalotra, Sonia & Karlsson, Martin & Nilsson, Therese, 2014. "Life Expectancy and Mother-Baby Interventions. Evidence from A Historical Trial," Ruhr Economic Papers 504, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    5. Sonia Bhalotra & Martin Karlsson & Therese Nilsson, 2014. "Life Expectancy and Mother-Baby Interventions," CINCH Working Paper Series 1404, Universitaet Duisburg-Essen, Competent in Competition and Health.
    6. Sonia Bhalotra & Martin Karlsson & Therese Nilsson, 2014. "Life Expectancy and Mother-Baby Interventions. Evidence from A Historical Trial," Ruhr Economic Papers 0504, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    7. Moataz, Aya & Richter, Christian, 2022. "The Impact of Female Tertiary Education and Climate Change on Economic Growth in Developing Countries," Agri-Tech Economics Papers 337137, Harper Adams University, Land, Farm & Agribusiness Management Department.
    8. Adrian Robert Bazbauers & Nadeen Madkour, 2024. "Gender and the Multilateral Development Banks: From WID to GAD to Retroliberal WID," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 24(2), pages 165-184, April.
    9. Jennifer Bair & Mathew Mahutga & Marion Werner & Liam Campling, 2021. "Capitalist crisis in the “age of global value chainsâ€," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 53(6), pages 1253-1272, September.
    10. Hannah Gichungi & Beatrice Muriithi & Patrick Irungu & Gracious Diiro & John Busienei, 0. "Effect of Technological Innovation on Gender Roles: The Case of Fruit Fly IPM Adoption on Women’s Decision-Making in Mango Production and Marketing in Kenya," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 0, pages 1-20.
    11. Tahir Mahmood, 2023. "He said, she said: Unpacking the determinants of Pakistan’s Intra-household gender differences," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 213-237, February.
    12. Brenda Wyss, 2015. "Seats for the 51 %: Beyond the Business Case for Corporate Board Quotas in Jamaica," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 42(3), pages 211-246, September.
    13. Davis, Jason, 2018. "School enrollment effects in a South-South migration context," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 157-164.
    14. Patel-Campillo, Anouk & Salas García, V.B., 2022. "Breaking the poverty cycle? Conditional cash transfers and higher education attainment," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 115021, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Pedro Manuel Nogueira Reis & António Pedro Soares Pinto, 2022. "How Do Banking Characteristics Influence Companies’ Debt Features and Performance during COVID-19? A Study of Portuguese Firms," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-29, October.
    16. Patient Rambe & Takawira Munyaradzi Ndofirepi, 2017. "Gender Differences in the Perceptions of Entrepreneurship Hindrances: A Case of Vocational Education Students in Zimbabwe," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 8(6), pages 94-113.
    17. Muriithi, B. & Gichungi, H., 2018. "Effect of Technology Innovation on Gender Roles: A case of Fruit Fly IPM Strategy on Women s Decision Making in Mango Production and Marketing in Kenya," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277398, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    18. repec:zbw:rwirep:0504 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Chiara Piovani & Nursel Aydiner-Avsar, 2015. "The Gender Impact of Social Protection Policies: A Critical Review of the Evidence," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(3), pages 410-441, July.
    20. Bridget O'Laughlin & Kiran Asher & Bimbika Sijapati Basnett, 2016. "Forum 2016," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 47(4), pages 952-964, July.
    21. Sangwan, Nikita & Kumar, Shalander, 2021. "Labor force participation of rural women and the household’s nutrition: Panel data evidence from SAT India," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:devchg:v:51:y:2020:i:5:p:1271-1295. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0012-155X .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.