KERRY RATIGAN
Department of Political Science
University of Wisconsin–Madison
110 North Hall, 1050 Bascom Mall
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608.216.4949
E-mail: ratigan@wisc.edu
EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison, expected July 2013
Major Fields: Comparative Politics, Political Methodology
Minor Field: Latin American Studies
M.A. in Political Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison, May 2008
M.Sc. in Comparative Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science, Merit, 2005
B.A. in Political Science and Spanish, Haverford College, Honors, May 2002
University of Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile, 2000–2001
RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS
Chinese politics, state–society relations, politics of developing countries, governance, social policy,
democratization and political change, civil society and social movements, research design.
DISSERTATION
Subnational Interventions in Social Policy Provision: Healthcare Reform in Rural China
Committee: Melanie Manion and Christina Ewig (Co-chairs), Edward Friedman, David Weimer, Rikhil Bhavnani
Welfare regime divergence in developing countries has flourished as a vital field of study, but previous
research has overlooked variation below the national level. My dissertation addresses this lacuna through an
analysis of healthcare reform and subnational variation in social policy implementation in China. I argue that
because of the decentralized and uneven nature of the economic reform process, Chinese provinces function
as distinct “worlds of welfare” with implications for the adoption, implementation, and, ultimately,
effectiveness of social policy. Distinct policy styles in provincial governments interact with grievances and
expectations about healthcare provision at lower levels to generate further variation within the province.
Systematic analysis of subnational variation is crucial to understanding social policy provision, but has been
hindered by the lack of reliable data in China. I utilize both qualitative and quantitative research to explore
these dynamics, drawing on 14 months of qualitative fieldwork and an original, NSF-funded survey of over
1,000 villagers and village leaders in three provinces. In addition, I place the Chinese healthcare reform in
comparative perspective to illustrate the benefits of a subnational approach in explaining social policy reform
beyond China. By using original data and disaggregating the role of the state in social policy provision, this
dissertation contributes to research on Chinese politics and the literature on social policy in developing
countries more broadly.
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GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation Dissertation Completion Fellowship, 2012–2013
American Political Science Association Travel Grant, 2012 (declined)
Overseas Young Chinese Forum, Gregory C. and Paula K. Chow Teaching Fellowship, 2012
University of Wisconsin–Madison, Department of Political Science, Summer Initiative Grant, 2011, 2012
University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vilas Travel Grant, 2010, 2011
National Science Foundation, Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant, 2010
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, for fieldwork in China, 2009–2010
Harvard–Yenching Library Travel Grant, 2009
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, for Chinese language study, 2007–2008
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, for Chinese language study in China, Summer 2007
PRESENTATIONS OF RESEARCH
“Provincial ‘Worlds of Welfare’: Social Policy Implementation in China.” American Political Science Association
Annual Meeting, New Orleans, August 2012.
“Unpacking Decentralization: Rural Health Policy in Jiangsu and Hunan.” International Workshop for Young
Scholars in Public Policy and Administration Research, jointly organized by the Asian Society for Institutional
Analysis, American Society for Public Administration, and Xiamen University, Xiamen, China, June 2011.
“Understanding Chinese ‘Welfare States’: Rural Health Policy and the New Cooperative Medical System.”
Association for Asian Studies Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, March 2010; Sixth Annual Graduate Seminar on
China, Chinese University of Hong Kong, January 2010; and Chinese Politics Workshop at the University of
Wisconsin–Madison, May 2009.
“The Politics of Chinese Economic Integration with the Developing World,” Fully Funded Graduate Student for
“China in the World” Postgraduate Research Summer School, University of Bristol, July 2008.
INVITED LECTURES:
China Pharmaceutical University, China University of Mining and Technology, Hunan University, Nankai
University, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Chinese Social Policy in Comparative Perspective, Nankai University, Tianjin, China, May – June 2012
Short course taught mainly in Chinese with support from the Overseas Young Chinese Foundation.
Advanced Placement Comparative Politics, Teda International School, Tianjin, China, 2011–2012
Advanced Placement Statistics, Teda International School, Tianjin, China, 2011–2012
Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Latin America, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Spring 2007
Taught two sections in Spanish and two sections in English for interdisciplinary course.
English Teacher, Shandong Foreign Trade College, Qingdao, China, Fall 2003
RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Research Assistant, Professor Christina Ewig, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2008–2009
Research Assistant, Professor Leigh Payne, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Fall 2006
Research Assistant, Amnesty International, London, 2005–2006
Consultant and Translator, Spanish Channel, China Central Television, Beijing, January – June 2004
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PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ACTIVITIES
Reviewer, Value in Health
Member, American Political Science Association
Member, Association for Asian Studies
Coordinator, Comparative Research Colloquium, University of Wisconsin–Madison (2007-2008)
LANGUAGES
Spanish: Fluent
Mandarin Chinese: Advanced proficiency
French: Advanced proficiency
Portuguese: Intermediate reading knowledge
REFERENCES
Melanie Manion
Vilas-Jordon Distinguished Achievement Professor
Department of Political Science and
Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs
University of Wisconsin–Madison
201 Observatory Hill Office Building
1225 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608.263.9060
E-mail: manion@lafollette.wisc.edu
Christina Ewig
Associate Professor of Gender & Women’s
Studies and Political Science
University of Wisconsin–Madison
3301 Sterling Hall
475 North Charter Street, Madison, WI 53705
Phone: 608.262.9622
E-mail: cewig@wisc.edu
Edward Friedman
Hawkins Chair Professor
Department of Political Science
University of Wisconsin–Madison
110 North Hall, 1050 Bascom Mall
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608.263.2272
E-mail: friedman@polisci.wisc.edu
David L. Weimer
Edwin E. Witte Professor of Political Economy
Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs
University of Wisconsin–Madison
201 Observatory Hill Office Building
1225 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608.262.5713
E-mail: weimer@lafollette.wisc.edu
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