Lucy is a doctoral candidate in International Relations at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford. Her doctoral thesis explores how global gender equality norms travel and are implemented in post-conflict contexts, with a focus on Kosovo. The project examines how international commitments to gender equality have been implemented by international organisations, focussing particularly on women’s socio-economic empowerment.

Ashley Wright is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Politics and International Relations. Her current research focuses on the political economy of foreign aid, particularly how the political structure of the US shapes its foreign aid allocations. She studies the extensive involvement of federal agencies and their interactions with Congress in the foreign aid process, employing empirical and text analysis. 

I am a third-year DPhil Student in Politics at Merton College and the Department of Politics and International Relations of the University of Oxford. I study the creation and variation in the institutional design of independent non-majoritarian institutions, specifically Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs). What explains the adoption of ACAs? Why do they take particular institutional forms? What are the consequences of choosing one model over another?