Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/317838 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Citation: 
[Journal:] Journal of Economic Growth [ISSN:] 1573-7020 [Volume:] 29 [Issue:] 2 [Publisher:] Springer US [Place:] New York, NY [Year:] 2023 [Pages:] 151-214
Publisher: 
Springer US, New York, NY
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 has influenced 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 evidence consistent with women legislators being more efficacious, less corrupt and less vulnerable to political opportunism.
Subjects: 
Political representation
Identity
India
Gender
Women legislators
Economic growth
Luminosity
Corruption
Roads
Close elections
Electoral incentives
JEL: 
D72
D78
H44
H73
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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