Marjeta Sinko
Marjeta Šinko
Marjeta Šinko, Research and Teaching Fellow and PhD Candidate in Comparative Politics, Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Croatia
After attending undergraduate courses at University of Zagreb (Croatia) and University of Hamburg (Germany), I graduated Political Science at the Faculty of Political Science Zagreb. Currently I am enrolled in the PhD graduate programme in Comparative Politics at the aforementioned Faculty where I am also employed as a Research and Teaching Fellow at the scientific project Elections, Parties, and Parliament in Croatia. I thought several seminars at the Faculty of Political Science ("Comparative Political Systems", "Introduction to Political Science: Approaches", "Academic Writing") but also courses at the Centre for Women's Studies in Zagreb ("Women, Feminism, Political", "Sexual Contract"). Until this Fellowship, I was a recipient of scholarships such as Internationale Parlaments Praktika which allowed me to experience an internship at the German Parliament (Bundestag) and CMEPIUS/CEEPUS by which I funded a semester study visit to University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). Since my graduation I collaborated with the NGO Centre for Women's Studies on numerous projects: Power of Female Politicians: What Do Citizens Expect and Perceive?, Women in Croatian Politics, AD ACTE - Anti Discrimination ACtions Toward Equality of Women and Men - just to name a few. I co-edited a book Gyné Politiké or about a Woman as a Political Citizen (Gyné politiké ili o političkoj građanki) and I am also an author of several scholarly articles and a dozen non peer-reviewed articles. Additionally, I was a presenter and/or an active participant in dozens of national and international conferences, seminars, round tables and work shops. I am a member of Centre for Women's Studies, Croatian Political Science Association and two standing groups at the European Consortium for Political Research.
My doctoral thesis is entitled Formation of Gender Equality Policies in Croatia and Slovenia from 1990 until 2008and is envisaged as an analysis of the formation and development of gender equality policies in the aforementioned countries. The main questions to be answered are the following: What is the role of policy transfer, that is the adoption of policy solutions, from the European Union for the formation of gender equality policies in post-socialist political systems of Slovenia and Croatia? Is it plausible to argue that post-socialist countries 'merely imported' solutions in their quest to fulfill the criteria imposed by the EU without regard to national historical, political, economical etc. contexts? These questions touch the very core of policy transfer studies, regardless of the specific policy area one investigates. The aim of this thesis is not so much acquiring prognostic insights, as gaining an in depth knowledge of these two specific countries. Such insight will add to the growing body of work on EU policy transfer or Europeanisation respectively. Taking into account that Croatia is EU's newest member, there is much to learn from 'other paths taken' during EU accession by Central European countries such as Austria but even more so from post-communist countries such as the countries of the Visegrad Group. I believe that a study visit at Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies will vastly deepen my knowledge on the subject as it's primary dedication is to these countries. In the end and on a more personal note, I have to conclude that I am looking forward to living in Canada and welcome the opportunity to see it's sights, immerse myself in it's culture and meet it's people as well as collaborate with the Croatian community in Edmonton.
Contact
E-mail: sinko@ualberta.caTelephone: 780-492-6390
Address:
University of Alberta
Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies
Suite 300 F
Arts & Convocation Hall
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada T6G 2E6