Women’s Entry In Politics & The Nature of Political Organization in India

• In Event: Gender Inequality in South Asia & its Effects on Autonomy, Employment & Turnout

Abstract

Political reservations in India have been lauded for their ability to increase women’s representation in local office and bring about policy change in line with women’s preferences (Pande, 2003; Chattophadhyaya and Duflo 2004). As historic political outsiders, this influx of women into politics may resemble a one-off opportunity to stimulate new political relationships and better governance. The consequences of this entry of women into political office is therefore likely to shape the very nature of local political organization for both men and women. However, we know little about the far reaching consequences of this recent entry of women into political office and how it has changed the way that local politics and governance is structured. If women form new networks not centered on personal and patronage connections, accountability gaps and capture by local (predominantly male) elites could be rapidly reversed. If, however, women enter politics via traditional patronage networks, little change in governance and policy could result. This paper takes a first step in understanding and documenting the potential variation in the political networks of men and women by mapping the local political networks of elected leaders and evaluating how the structure of these political networks relates to policy demands. To do so, I combine an analysis of administrative data and an original survey. First, matching lists of local elected representatives with administrative census data of all residents across five districts in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and membership data from all women’s groups, I document patterns of selection into candidacy and office from the most recent local elections. I then pair this administrative data with an original census conducted in five villages that collected data on every adult villager’s political participation, political networks, and collective action. These data are used to evaluate and document the nature of local politicians’ networks, with a particular focus on gender composition and density of political insiders. Finally, I evaluate how the structure of political networks links with the nature of political demands from politicians’ support base.

Author

• Soledad Artiz Prillaman, Oxford University