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Replication Data for: Who Actually Governs? Gender Inequality and Political Representation in Rural India

Harvard Dataverse (Africa Rice Center, Bioversity International, CCAFS, CIAT, IFPRI, IRRI and WorldFish)

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Title Replication Data for: Who Actually Governs? Gender Inequality and Political Representation in Rural India
 
Identifier https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/HOTD5N
 
Creator Heinze, Alyssa René
Brulé, Rachel
Chauchard, Simon
 
Publisher Harvard Dataverse
 
Description Research on representative democracy often assumes that elected officials from
disadvantaged and dominant groups have equal input into decision-making once in
office. Drawing on an original survey in 320 Indian village councils, we leverage both
reputational and behavioral measures to show that this assumption does not hold.
Women elected through gender quotas do not equally participate in decision-making
processes within village councils. We additionally show that these inequalities owe to
both discrimination and selection mechanisms. Recognition of this underappreciated
form of political inequality is imperative for scholars to accurately identify the strengths
and limitations of descriptive representation. From a policy standpoint, this suggests
that reforms aiming to increase the representation of members of traditionally excluded
groups (quotas) may not be sufficient to enable individuals from long-excluded groups
to play a role in decision-making.
 
Subject Social Sciences
political inequality
influence
representation
quotas
India
 
Date 2024-02-15
 
Contributor Heinze, Alyssa René