The Study Of Feminist Institutionalism In Political Science

Since the 1970' s,new institutionalists gradually update discipline theory construction and the research methods.Meanwhile,rational choice institutionalism,historical institutionalism and sociological institutionalism and constructivism institutionalism produced significant results and the theoretical tools.As an important analytical paradigm in the field of political science,new institutionalism focus on the interaction between actors,institutional context and different institutions.However,the institutional phenomenon is complicated,actors,institutional background and different institutions in the real political operation are unavoidably formed and shaped by gender relations,and gender relations are strengthened by the norms of masculinity and femininity institution,so the analysis of various kinds of institution must fully consider the nature of gender relations,which is ignored by the new institutionalist.Some feminist researchers based on the frontier exploration on the institutional issues within feminism,and in the trend of new institutionalism showing a tendency of connection,they drew on the institutional research framework and analytical tools of various schools of new institutionalism and put forward an analytical approach of integrating feminism and new institutionalism.Firstly,feminist institutionalism is based on the three important concepts of gender,power and system,and obtains the development impetus from the political theory of new institutionalism and feminist political theory.To explore the internal mechanism of female institutionalism,its concept and theoretical basis need to be clarified first.Secondly,feminist institutionalism emerged from the organic integration of new institutionalism and feminism,and developed on the basis of drawing on their advantages and summarizing their existing shortcomings.Each school of new institutionalism aims to make up for the analytical limitations of the old institutionalism,and increasingly crosses over in the field of research topics.The feminist research purport for the system is increasingly clear,but its analysis is relatively lack of a more systematic research framework.Thirdly,feminist institutionalism has made theoretical breakthroughs in the studyof the definition and type of institution,the relationship between structure and agency,the operation process of institution and the relationship between power and institution.Feminist institutionalism researchers insist on gender matters and to emphasize the restriction of the instituion to realize the equality of gender power relations,they claim the interpretation and type of institution are highly gendered and interactive mechanism between formal and informal institution,they correct most of the new institutionalism researchers' understanding of structure and agency and supplement women initiative theory blank,they also rich the research of institution establishment,existence and change,defining each other's boundary to explore the way of institutional process and gender relations.Fourthly,feminist institutionalism in terms of research methods,research perspectives and research framework can add help for new institutionalism.But it may also face many questions,such as the genre localization is unclear,internal differences of schools in feminism,the consistency of new institutionalism has been over emphasized are the potential factors affecting the future development.Feminist institutionalism will draw in the western academic lineage and multidisciplinary resources,and capture theory frontier from the global women's movement and institution operation practice of countries.