There are more women in politics than ever before. This paper reviews the substantive effects of female representation on policies, concluding that this leads to a better provision of public goods in developing countries (especially in health and education), changes in parliamentary deliberations and specific policy choices in developed countries, and improved institutional quality by reducing corruption. It also touches on the methodological challenges in studying women’s leadership and policy outcomes, due to the lack of randomization in assigning women to political positions.
Blog » Female Political Representation and Substantive Effects on Policies: A Literature Review (2020)
Female Political Representation and Substantive Effects on Policies: A Literature Review (2020)
There are more women in politics than ever before. This paper reviews the substantive effects of female representation on policies, concluding that this leads to a better provision of public goods in developing countries (especially in health and education), changes in parliamentary deliberations and specific policy choices in developed countries, and improved institutional quality by reducing corruption. It also touches on the methodological challenges in studying women’s leadership and policy outcomes, due to the lack of randomization in assigning women to political positions.