Can Gender Quotas in Candidate Lists Empower Women?

L'axe « Discriminations et inégalités sociales » du LIEPP a le plaisir de vous inviter au séminaire :

Can Gender Quotas in Candidate Lists Empower Women? Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design

with Manuel Bagues

[langue: anglais]

 Mercredi 13 juin 2018
12h30 - 14h30

(des sandwiches seront servis)
Salle de séminaire deu LIEPP - 254, boulevard Saint Germain

Inscriptions

   Manuel Bagues

   Professeur associé au département d'économie de l'Université de Aalto

Abstract

We provide a comprehensive analysis of the short- and medium-term effects of gender quotas in candidate lists using evidence from local elections in Spain. In the context of a closed list system with proportional representation, quotas were introduced in 2007 in municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants, and were extended in 2011 to municipalities with more than 3,000 inhabitants. Using a Regression Discontinuity Design, we find that quotas increased the share of women in candidate lists by around 8 p.p. and among council members by 4 p.p. However, we do no observe within three rounds of elections any significant variation in voting behavior, the quality of politicians, the probability that women reach powerful positions such as party leader or mayor, or in the size and composition of public finances. Overall, our analysis casts doubts on the effectivity of gender quotas in candidate lists and their capability to empower women.