Books

“Strategic Frameworks for Women’s Rights: Evidence from Egypt, Tunisia, and Turkey (with Y. Magiya&E.Baser)
“Gender Differences in International Cooperation”

Abstract1

The Choice Between Intergovernmentalism and Nongovernmentalism:

Projecting Domestic Preferences to Global Governance

This article seeks to explain when governments are more likely to take an intergovernmental approach to resolving global collective problems rather than step back and encourage (or simply allow) nongovernmental actors to become the main global governors. The authors suggest that an important factor driving this choice is the domestic ideological leanings of powerful states toward greater or lesser government activism. Such ideologies connect domestic preferences to international ones. They also lead to the establishment of domestic institutions that, in turn, facilitate the emergence of international organizations. Using these arguments, the authors develop a set of inferences regarding the likelihood that governments will establish and join intergovernmental organizations. The authors test their hypotheses through a study of global governance in the education realm, and also apply a series of statistical analyses covering developments in all issue-areas over the last century and a half.

Abstract 2

Women Insurgents, Rebel Organization Structure and Sustaining the Rebellion: The Case of Kurdistan Workers’ Party

How do women insurgents affect rebel organizations’ structure and survivability? Scholars acknowledge the importance of organization-level dynamics and unit composition for conflict outcomes. However, our understanding of how gender-diverse cadres impact rebel survivability remains limited. I examine the mechanisms through which women sustain the armed conflict. I analyze micro-organizational dynamics of rebellion through a qualitative case study of the Kurdish armed movement in Turkey between 1982-2015, based on the official archives of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. I show that women insurgents enable tactical diversity, aid the organization’s coup-proofing strategy against factions, and mobilize domestic and international audiences. Women contribute most to their organization during crises and due to exploitation of gender inequalities. Analyzing the relationship between gender dynamics, group structure, and evolving rebel strategies, this study shows that the gender of the membership is an important factor influencing rebel survivability.

Abstract 3

Public Preferences, Gender, and Foreign Support for Armed Movements

Female combatants are often central to rebel groups’ outreach strategies, however their effect on foreign support remains unclear. Through survey experiments in the US and Tunisia, and analysis of observational data on foreign support towards rebel groups, this Element argues that female combatants signal humane treatment and liberal values within rebel groups, attracting international support. Findings show that foreign audiences are more likely to endorse government sponsorship when female combatants are present. This support is driven by perceptions of these groups as more gender-equal, democratic, moral, and less likely to harm civilians. Testing whether these favorable views translate into state support, cross-national evidence suggests that gender-diverse groups are more likely to attract democratic support. In addition to establishing gender composition as a factor attracting external conflict support, this Element contributes to broader debates on the gender equality-peace nexus, humanitarian aid, rebel legitimacy, and gender stereotypes in nontraditional political spheres.

Abstract 4

Gender Norms & Rebel Survivability

Existing research demonstrated that women participate in two-thirds of rebel groups in various roles, yet little is known about the conditions under which female recruitment can benefit rebel groups. I argue that groups with female combatants are more likely to survive longer than all-male groups, and that female combatants’ impact on conflict duration is conditional on the prevalence of traditional gender norms. I conduct survival analysis using a global sample of rebel groups from 1979 to 2009 at the macro-level, and at the micro-level, I leverage the district-level variation on gender norms within a single conflict using large-N data from Kurdish Armed Insurgency. The results suggest that female members’ advantage in sustaining the rebellion is only salient in societies with restrictive gender norms regarding women’s participation in public life. In contrast, female members do not appear to contribute to rebel group survivability through unique gendered ways in societies embracing more gender-egalitarian norms. The results have important research and policy implications highlighting the need to understand gender disparities as a mainstream security issue.

Abstract 5

Quotas and Cues: Public Responses to International Support for Women’s Political Representation in Saudi Arabia

How do international and domestic endorsements influence public support for women’s political representation in authoritarian, patriarchal contexts? This paper investigates how various actors—including international organizations, regional bodies, INGOs, Western powers, and local religious authorities—shape public opinion toward gender quotas in Saudi Arabia, an autocracy with extreme gender inequality. Using an original online survey experiment, we find that endorsement from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation significantly increases support for women’s political inclusion - more so than local religious leaders. In contrast, endorsements from the UN, U.S., and INGOs slightly reduce support, though these effects are statistically insignificant. These findings question assumptions about the universal legitimacy of global actors and underscore the often-overlooked influence of regional institutions in promoting gender norms. Bridging literatures on international organizations, public opinion, and gender politics, the study shows how actor credibility and sociocultural alignment shape the domestic reception of international women’s rights agendas.

Abstract 6

International Status Concerns and Gender Attitudes

Women’s rights are an important dimension of international status: International audiences tend to favor countries that improve the standing of women, and policymakers leverage these predispositions to enhance their countries’ standing. Yet, there is scant evidence on whether international status concerns affect domestic attitudes. Using experimental evidence from Turkey and historical case studies, we show that status concerns shape public attitudes towards women. Our results indicate that status concerns improve attitudes toward women both when status is explicitly tied to women’s standing and, sometimes, even when it is not—especially among men, who react more strongly. The case studies illustrate that international status concerns played a key role in changing public perceptions, aiding women’s movements in Turkey, Britain, Greece, and Russia. These findings show that global hierarchies resonate with domestic audiences, and status anxieties can bridge foreign and domestic spheres in shaping support for gender reforms.