Power Corrupts? Women Chief Executives and Corruption

• In Event: The Rise and Fall of Women Presidents from the Comparative Perspective

Abstract

A large corpus of research has examined whether women in the legislature effect levels of corruption within a country. This research has found two consistent findings: women in legislatures can reduce corruption in the right context and countries that exclude women tend to have higher levels of corruption. While this research is becoming more fine-tuned, it excludes an important level of representation, the executive office. I ask whether women chief executives can reduce corruption once in power in the same vein as women in the legislature. Given the many examples of women executives facing corruption scandals, this is a timely question to answer. Past research on women leaders highlights the political double-bind they face in office. I posit that this double-bind shapes their behavior in relation to corruption due to voter behavior and perception. I test this theory from 1990 to 2010.

Author

• Courtney Burns, Bucknell University