Are Female Leaders Good for Education? Evidence from India

Irma Clots-Figueras

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2012, vol. 4, issue 1, 212-44

Abstract: This paper shows that the gender of politicians affects the educational levels of individuals who grow up in the districts where these politicians are elected. A unique dataset collected on politicians in India is matched with individual data by cohort and district of residence. The political data allow the identification of close elections between women and men, which yield quasi-experimental election outcomes used to estimate the causal effect of the gender of politicians. Increasing female political representation increases the probability that an individual will attain primary education in urban areas, but not in rural areas, and not in the sample as a whole. (JEL D72, I20, J16, 015, 017)

JEL-codes: D72 I20 J16 O15 O17 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.4.1.212
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (193)

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