Irene Rubin is Professor Emeritus of political science in the Division of Public Administration at Northern Illinois University. Her research interests include public budgeting, qualitative methodologies, and contracting, especially for water and waste water treatment. She is also interested in budget implementation, especially Inspector General systems.

She is the author of several books on public budgeting, including a popular text book, The Politics of Public Budgeting and a history of municipal budgeting, Class, Tax, and Power: Municipal Budgeting in the United States.   She was Editor of the Public Administration Review (PAR) from 1996–1999, the first woman editor in its history; Editor of Public Budgeting and Finance for two years; and book review editor for PAR for three years.

She has served as a municipal finance advisor, a member of a board of the NIU annuitants association, and consultant to various organizations. Her current interests include preservation of pension funding and health care benefit issues. She holds a Masters degree in East Asian Studies and a PhD in Sociology.