Rachel Minto

Research Associate - Brexit and UK devolved politics, Cardiff University
I joined the Wales Governance Centre in October 2016 to undertake research into Brexit and UK devolved politics. Building on my background in EU politics and governance, I am now addressing questions surrounding the UK's withdrawal from the EU and the implications this will have for the politics and governance of a post-devolution UK. I'm particularly interested in exploring Brexit from a governance perspective, beyond focusing exclusively on what Brexit will mean in legal terms. I have recently been undertaking research into European networks and what Brexit will mean for UK-based actors who currently participate within these.

Most recent conference presentation: 'Advancing UK agendas through European networks: Agency, opportunity structures and the hidden European Polity', Political Studies Association: Theorising Brexit, 28th March 2018, research with Dr Paul Copeland (Queen Mary University of London)

Prior to joining the Wales Governance Centre, my research focused on EU politics and governance, as part of the Centre for European Law and Governance. From January 2013, I was a Research Associate on the project “Law, Science and Interests in European Policy-making” (LASI), an interdisciplinary research project funded by the European Research Council (PI: Prof. Stijn Smismans). As part of this project, I focused on horizontal governance practices, specifically the Commission's Integrated Impact Assessment, policy evaluation and mainstreaming. I also undertook some sector-specific work for the project, focusing on processes of participation and the use of different types of expertise within European employment policy; including the creation and use of employment indicators.

As a complement to this governance research, I have a particular interest in gender and equality. This research builds largely on my PhD thesis on gender mainstreaming in the EU.