Gender and Local Politics: RDD Analysis of Close Mayoral Races in Turkey

• In Event: Poster Session: Urban Politics & International Order, Environmental Issues, and IPE
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Urban Politics

Abstract

This paper explores the effect of the genders of local politicians on policy outcomes through the Turkish case. The change in local outcomes is analyzed using regression discontinuity design for close elections between female and male mayors in Turkey for 2009, 2014, and 2019 elections. The results manifest that, unlike India and Brazil, there is no significant difference between female and male politicians in policymaking. Female mayors do not affect the building permits given to new schools and hospitals, the average number of schools, classrooms, or primary school students per classroom. The paper also looks at how exposure to female mayors affects women’s chances to rerun in
the future local elections. This paper brings out that females are more likely to rerun; however, there is no significant effect on getting reelected. Also, female politicians negatively impact the number of females in municipality councils. Finally, female leaders are more likely to get arrested. This is not because female mayors in Turkey are criminals or more corrupt than their counterparts in other countries. The answer lies in understanding the authoritarian tendencies in recent Turkish politics. Thus, the results reveal rising recentralization and the reproduction of competitive authoritarianism in Turkey.

Author

• Ezgi Siir Kibris