Representation, discrimination and progressive social policy: Evidence from India

• In Event: Gender and Politics in the Global South 1

Abstract

Does local leadership and mandated representation promote the implementation of progressive social policy that conflicts with entrenched cultural and gender norms? We conducted four vignette survey experiments with a representative sample of elected village representatives in Bihar. Each vignette randomly varies the gender and caste of a citizen in a social situation in a different policy area such as lockdown rules, inheritance law, land encroachment, and open defecation. We find that local representatives intervene, regardless of their gender or caste, strongly dis- criminate against (SC) women but only in the enforcement of the inheritance law. Conversely, we find little evidence for overt caste or gender discrimination in non-gender policy vignettes. The results from the inheritance vignette replicate in a follow-up with village leaders who have judicial powers to enforce implementation. Descriptive and qualitative data indicate universally entrenched gender norms as the explanation. Local leaders are unlikely to directly implement progressive gender policy, suggesting a greater need to distinguish between policy types.

Authors

• Tanushree Goyal, Harvard University

• Sam Van Noort

• Mats Ahrenshop, University of Oxford