Manaswini's research interest is at the intersection of civil-military relations and comparative politics. In her dissertation, she explores variation in military subordination to civilian authorities in postcolonial states. In contrast to the literature's focus on explaining how civilians establish their authority over the military, and ways of maximizing civilian control, she focuses on the military's agency in determining the extent of its subordination, by investigating how the military constructs its professional value system that prizes subordination to civilian authorities. Prior to beginning her PhD, Manaswini worked as an Associate Research Fellow in the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore and as a lecturer in Professional Military Education to the Singapore Armed Forces. Manaswini holds a Master of Science degree in Strategic Studies, with a Certificate in Terrorism Studies, from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore and a BA in Political Science and Economics from Luther College, Iowa.
Awards:
Summer Methods Funding - Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research, Summer 2018
