Dr Rachel Minto

Trosolwyg

I'm a Lecturer in Politics with a background in EU politics and governance, and a particular interest in gender equality and territorial politics. My research explores the concepts of Europeanisation and de-Europeanisation, and how these play out differently in the four nations of the UK. I also undertake research in the area of EU gender equality politics.

I have been an active member of the Wales Governance Centre since October 2016 where I began research into the evolving EU-UK relationship and UK devolved politics. Prior to joining the Wales Governance Centre, I was based in the Centre for European Law and Governancea as a Research Associate (2013-2016) 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.

Engagement and knowledge exchange: I am actively involved in knowledge exchange between academics and policy-makers in Wales and beyond. At the heart of this work is EU Exchange Wales. This is a forum for regular EU-related discussion and exchange between Cardiff University academics and Welsh Government policy-makers. I established this network in 2013 and it now has a membership of c.100 individuals from across the Welsh Government and Cardiff University.

In addition to EU Exchange Wales, I have also provided seminars and briefings on EU/Brexit and gender-related matters for Welsh Government officials, Welsh Parliament/Senedd Cymru Commission staff, Welsh MPs and Senedd Members. I have also provided evidence to Committees from the House of Lords, the House of Commons and the Welsh Parliament/Senedd Cymru.

I am actively involved in gender equality activity beyond academia. Most recently, I have joined the Steering Group to establish the Wales Women’s Budget Group (WWBG) (invited from November 2020) and am also a WWBG Trustee.  I am also one of the coordinators of the Women in Europe (Wales) network, which sits as part of the Senedd’s Cross-Party Group on Women (invited, from 2018) and a member of the Gender Network, which is linked to Welsh Government's Third Sector Partnership Council (invited, from 2018). I am also Chair of Cardiff Women's Aid. All of this activity beyond academic draws from and serves to disseminate my feminist research experience.

Events/contributions for governmental and parliamentary actors (a recent selection)

2 June 2021: Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS) webinar on gender equality in the Commission: Will the EU reach its goals?, presenting European Policy Analysis on “Gender mainstreaming in the European Commission” for, to support preparations for the Swedish Presidency, January - June 2023, with Dr Lut Mergaert (Yellow Window). Comments given by Cecilia Malmström, former Swedish Commissioner, and by Lena Ag, Director General of the Swedish Gender Equality Agency (Jämställdhetsmyndigheten).

25 January 2021: Participant in Welsh Parliament’s/Senedd Cymru’s External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee “Round table discussion with academics on Wales in the wider world”, with Prof. Catherine Barnard, Sir Emyr Parry Jones and Prof. Anand Menon.

7 December 2020: Presentation at the UK Government’s Cabinet Office (“Constitution School”) on Wales, Brexit and devolution with Prof. Jo Hunt

9 January 2020: Member of panel “Working with stakeholders: academics’ experience from the coalface” at the event, “Working across Academia and Government: Insights from Cardiff and London” co-hosted by the Wales Governance Centre, Cardiff University, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and the University of Liverpool, Cardiff.

21 October 2019: Participant in National Assembly for Wales’ External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee “Round table discussion with academics on the Welsh Government’s draft international strategy”, available to view here: http://www.senedd.tv/Meeting/Archive/5ef0fc77-3528-47bd-970b-2d647bd2a4c2?autostart=True#

Contributions cited in the Committee’s “Report on the Welsh Government’s Draft International Strategy”, published on 12 December 2019, available here:http://www.senedd.assembly.wales/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=26987

21 October 2019: Briefing for National Assembly for Wales Commission staff, “Brexit: The State of Play”

Events/contributions for other policy actors and stakeholders (a recent selection)

21 June 2021: Witness at a Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) People’s Tribunal Hearings

15 June 2021: Member of the panel on “EU-UK relations beyond government” at the European Policy Centre’s “EU-UK Track 2” initiative conference, with Prof. David Phinnemore, Kirsty Williams, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz

 25 February 2021: Provided evidence for the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) People’s Tribunal

8 October 2020: Panel member on the webinar, “The B-word: What next for rights and equality?” hosted by the Northern Ireland Women’s European Platform as part of their “A feminist future” webinar series, event report available here: https://blog.niwep.org/sites/default/files/NIWEP%20webinar%20series%20-%20summary%20paper%20webinar%204.pdf

18 September 2020: Panel member for the Wales Centre for Public Policy’s webinar, “A Conversation on Wales’ Future”, with Carywn Jones MS and Auriol Miller. A recording is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9ZzUQIgX8g

10 October 2019: “Women and Brexit”, presentation at Women’s Equality Network Wales Women’s Rights Conference

Reports, blogposts, podcasts, interviews and selected media (a recent selection)

31 March 2021: European Policy Analysis, “Gender mainstreaming in the European Commission” for the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS), to support preparations for the Swedish Presidency, January - June 2023, with Dr Lut Mergaert (Yellow Window)

October 2019: Consultant (unpaid) for the drafting of the report “Brexit: Voices of Women in Wales Matter”, a working paper by the cross-party Women in Europe (Wales) Network (of which I am a co-ordinator), hosted by the National Assembly for Wales’ Cross-Party Group on Women

1 August 2019: “Equality Mainstreaming: Policy Development Model” by Dr Alison Parken, with Natasha Davies, Dr Rachel Minto and Polly Trenow, available here: https://chwaraeteg.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Equality-Mainstreaming-Policy-Development-Model.pdf

 3 May 2019: “Wales in Europe post-Brexit”, with Prof Kevin Morgan, Click on Wales (Institute of Welsh Affairs blog), available here: https://www.iwa.wales/click/2019/05/wales-in-europe-post-brexit/

15 March 2019: Contribution to Golau, Cardiff University Podcast, “Meaningful Vote Gareth”, available here: https://soundcloud.com/user-144128765/meaningful-vote-gareth