Path-Breakers: How Does Women's Political Participation Respond to Electoral Success?

Sonia Bhalotra, Irma Clots-Figueras and Lakshmi Iyer

No 7771, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper analyzes the effect of a woman's electoral victory on women's subsequent political participation. Using the regression discontinuity afforded by close elections between women and men in India's state elections, we find that a woman winning office leads to a large and significant increase in the share of female candidates from major political parties in the subsequent election. This stems mainly from an increased probability that previous women candidates contest again, an important margin in India where a substantial number of incumbents do not contest re-election. There is no significant entry of new female candidates, no change in female or male voter turnout and no spillover effects to neighboring areas. Further analysis points to a reduction in party bias against women candidates as the main mechanism driving the observed increase in women's candidacy.

Keywords: politics; gender; India; candidacy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J16 J71 P16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 42 pages
Date: 2013-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm and nep-pol
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

Published - published in: Economic Journal, 2018, 128 (614), 1844 -1878

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Working Paper: Path-Breakers: How Does Women’s Political Participation Respond to Electoral Success? (2016)
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