Dr. Müge Finkel is the Director of the Ford Institute for Human Security and an Associate Professor of International Development at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). Dr. Finkel is a co-director of the Gender Inequality Research Lab (GIRL). She is the faculty co-lead with Dr. Melanie Hughes for the Ford Institute’s working group on Gender Equality in Public Administration (GEPA) in a collaborative effort with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). She is also the faculty lead for the Ford Institute’s working group on Online Violence Against Women in Politics, in partnership with Koç University.
Before her academic appointment at GSPIA, Dr. Finkel worked as a Social Development Specialist for the Middle East and North Africa region at the World Bank, consulted for the International Food Policy Research Institute, and worked on gender-focused studies in Yemen, Egypt, and Morocco. She has program expertise in Gender Analysis, Community-Driven Development, Social & Environmental Impact Assessment, and Participatory Program Development.
Dr. Finkel was appointed the Kabak Faculty Fellow in Human Rights at the Global Studies Center (UCIS) for 2024-2025. The Fellowship is given to a faculty member whose work explores the process of international conflict resolution and peacemaking. This encompasses social, cultural, and political dimensions, and the role of women, nongovernmental organizations, and community-based initiatives.
United Nations, 2023, Transforming institutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals after the pandemic, World Public Sector Report 2023, Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, New York, September.
Finkel M. K, “All Turkish was a battle cry against time.” First-person, Public Source. https://www.publicsource.org/turkey-syria-earthquake-pittsburgh-humanitarian-relief-turkish-tragedy/ February 16
Finkel, M. K., Grøn, C. H., & Hughes, M. M. (2023). Moving On Up? Effects of Leadership Training and Intersectoral Mobility on Women’s Advancement in Danish Public Administration Management. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 43(2), 215–238. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X211054875
Hughes, M. M., M. K. Finkel, and B. Howell. “Gender Parity in Civil Service (Gen-PaCS) Dataset.” August 1.
Finkel M. K, and M. M. Hughes. “GEPA and Climate Change UNDP Brief,” released at Stockholm+50, June 2-3.
Finkel M. K, and OECD Governance Group, Working Paper, (forthcoming) Compendium des bonnes pratiques pour l’accès des femmes à des postes de décision dans la sphère publique.
Finkel M. K, and M. M. Hughes. “Building Public Administration Back, Better and Global,” ASPA Leadership Insights. Feb 25. https://www.aspanet.org/ASPADocs/Publications/GSPIA-FinkelHughes
Finkel, Müge, Melanie M. Hughes, and Joanna Hill. 2021. Gender Equality in Public Administration. New York, NY: UNDP and University of Pittsburgh.
UNDP-UN Women-UPITT COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker Task Force Dataset. Living database, version 2 (November 11, 2021). Accessible at https://data.undp.org/gendertracker/
Baumann, S. E., Merante, M. M., Wiltrout, C. T., Cutlip, T., Finkel, M., Maharjan, B., Lhaki, P., & Burke, J. G. (2021). Is criminalization the answer? Perspectives of community members and police on menstrual seclusion policy in Far-West Nepal. Health Policy and Planning, 36(7), 1003–1012. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czab032
Baumann, S., Finkel, M.K, Burke, J., & Lhaki, P. (2021, In Copyedits Review). A Comprehensive Theoretical Framework for Addressing the Harmful Effects of Menstrual Traditions in Nepal. Menstruation in Nepal: Continuity and Change. Routledge
Finkel M. K, “The power of one: What if that is all we need to find our common humanity?” First-person, Public Source. https://www.publicsource.org/the-power-of-one-what-if-that-is-all-we-need-to-find-our-common-humanity/ . October 31.
Finkel, Müge. “Ellerby, Kara. 2017. No Shortcut to Change: An Unlikely Path to a More Gender-Equitable World. New York, NY: New York University Press, 288 Pp., $30 (Paperback). ISBN: 9781479817160.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy. Routledge, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554477X.2018.1477371.
Öztop, Hülya, and Müge Finkel. 2015. "A Gendered Perspective on Social Policies in Turkey: What Do Women Think?" Journal of Education & Social Policy 2(4).
Reich, Simon, and Müge Finkel. 2008. “What Makes a Camp Safe: Protection of Children from Abduction in Internally Displaced Persons and Refugee Camps.” Ford Institute for Human Security, University of Pittsburgh.
Oppong, Yaa, and Müge Finkel. 2006. “Voices of the Youth: Background Papers and Country Case Studies from Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Yemen." In WDR 2007: Development and the Next Generation. World Bank.
MNA Social Development Group. 2005. “Securing a Future for All: MNA Regional Social Development Strategy.” World Bank.
MNA Social Development Group. 2005. “Training Manual for Regional Youth Strategy.” World Bank.
Kudat, Ayse, and Müge Finkel. 2004. “Evaluating the Potential for Scaling Up CDD in the Kyrgyz Republic.” In Scaling up-community Driven Development: A Synthesis of Experience. IFPRI.
- Gender Equality in Public Administration
- Comparative social policy in developed and developing countries
- Poverty and Economic Development
- Gender and Development
- Japanese politics
2023 United Nations Development Programme. “Gender Equality in Public Administration, Global Report 2020” with Co-PI Dr. Melanie Hughes. $15,000.
2022 Pitt Cyber Accelerator Grant, “On-line Violence Against Women in Politics (VAW-P): A comparative study on Brazil & Turkey.” $6,000.
2022 William and Flora Hewlett Endowment, GSPIA Faculty Research Grant Program. “On-line Violence Against Women in Politics (VAW-P): An Emerging Threat to Human Security and Gender Equality.” $7,500
2019-21. United Nations Development Programme. "Gender Equality in Public Administration: 2020 Global Report.” Co-PI: Melanie Hughes. $73,100.
2019-21. Pitt Seed Project Award. “Raising GIRL: Gender Inequality Research Lab at Pitt.” Co-PI: Melanie Hughes. Office of the Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh. $49,603.
2018-19. Integrative Social Science Research Initiative Award. “The Global Glass Ceilings Database: Measuring Women's Access to Decision-making in Public Administration Worldwide.” Co-PI: Melanie Hughes. Office of the Provost, University of Pittsburgh. $44,688.
2017-19. Central Research Development Fund Small Grants Program. “Armed Conflict and Gender Equality in Public Administration.” Co-PI: Melanie Hughes. Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Pittsburgh. $16,000.
2016-19. United Nations Development Programme. “Gender Equality in Public Administration.” Co-PI: Melanie Hughes. $30,350.
2017. Jean Monnet Center of Excellence Faculty Research on the European Union Grant. “Gender Equality in Public Administration: Learning from Global Leaders.” Co-PI: Melanie Hughes. $4,483.