Electoral Quotas & Intersectional Discrimination: Leadership Selection in Kenya

• In Event: Gender, Politics, & Institutional Features in the U.S. & Comparative Contexts

Abstract

Discrimination occurs when equivalently qualified people are treated differently because of their identity. A key question is this: does discrimination on one dimension exacerbate discrimination on another? We conducted a lab-in-field experiment in Kenya to understand whether double discrimination occurs when people are incentivized to pick a person to perform a task. We considered three factors potentially shaping discrimination on one or both dimensions as well as their interaction: (1) the presence of electoral quotas; (2) objective information on candidate performance; (3) the opportunity to discuss choices in diverse groups. While we find evidence of discrimination against women and outgroups we find little evidence of double-discrimination in any condition.

Authors

• Jonah Foong

• Macartan Humphreys, WZB

• Kimuli Kasara, Columbia University