Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/180614 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 11596
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
There has been a phenomenal global increase in the proportion of women in politics in the last two decades, but there is no evidence of how this influences economic performance. We investigate this using data on competitive elections to India's state assemblies, leveraging close elections to isolate causal effects. We find significantly higher growth in economic activity in constituencies that elect women and no evidence of negative spillovers to neighbouring male-led constituencies, consistent with net growth. Probing mechanisms, we find that women legislators are less likely to be criminal and corrupt, more efficacious, and less vulnerable to political opportunism.
Subjects: 
political representation
identity
India
gender
women legislators
economic growth
luminosity
corruption
roads
close elections
JEL: 
D72
D78
H44
H73
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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