Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property http_class::$content_length_set is deprecated in /web/aae/dept/dev/wp-content/themes/uw-theme-child/lib/oauth2/http.php on line 1563
Do Quotas for Marginalized Groups Improve Women’s Representation? Evidence from India’s Village Elections
Presented by:
Priyadarshi Amar
Practice Job Talk
Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Thursday, September 26, 2024
3:45 pm-5:00 pm
Taylor-Hibbard Seminar Room (Rm103)
How do quotas focused on a single dimension of identity affect the representation of individuals with multiple intersecting disadvantaged identities? In this paper, I examine the impact of quotas for marginalized caste groups on women's representation and argue that when gender norms are correlated with social status, quotas for marginalized groups may influence women's representation. To empirically test this, I use a novel design that leverages quasi-random variation in the assignment of caste quotas for council member seats in rural Maharashtra. I find that in seats with quotas for marginalized caste groups, the likelihood of women running for and winning political office is higher than in seats without quotas. Consistent with the theory, I find evidence suggesting that these findings are driven by restrictions on upper-caste women due to fears of pollution when engaging in activities that involve proximity to marginalized caste groups. The results indicate that within contexts of discrimination and social hierarchy, status may act as a barrier for women in politics.