Christina Kinane

Assistant Professor of Political Science

Christina Kinane is Assistant Professor of Political Science and a Research Fellow at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University. Her research focuses on American political institutions, with an emphasis on how interactions among executives, the bureaucracy, and legislatures impact the policymaking process and its outcomes. Her dissertation, titled “Control without Confirmation: The Politics of Vacancies in Presidential Appointments,” develops and tests an original theory of appointments that provides a new and better understanding of presidential strategic behavior under separation of powers. The project examines how presidents strategically use vacancies in their appointments that require Senate confi rmation to advance their policy priorities. Professor Kinane received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan in June of 2019. She also holds an M.P.A. in Public and Economic Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science as well as B.A.s in Political Science and Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.