Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/282766 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 16639
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Can effective policy implementation change political selection by inducing voters to prioritize leader competence over other traits, such as gender? We answer this question by examining the impact of a successful school-expansion program on the likelihood of women being elected to state legislatures in India. We show that the program increased voter prioritization of leader competence over gender, boosting the share of women among candidates and state parliamentarians and the overall capability of elected officials. These findings are consistent with the predictions of a model of candidate self-selection where voters trade-off candidate competence with their bias against female leaders.
Subjects: 
DPEP
political selection
India
leader competence
female leaders
gender
JEL: 
J16
I24
O12
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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