Gendered bureaucracies: Women mayors and the size and composition of local governments
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
WILEY
Abstract
While women are underrepresented in politics, recent improvements in women's representation in legislative and executive bodies have spurred academic interest in the effects of electing women on a wide array of outcomes. Effects on bureaucracies, however, have received less attention. Do women mayors reform local bureaucracies differently than their men counterparts? We take advantage of rich administrative data from Chile to explore the effects of having a woman mayor on the size and gender composition of municipal bureaucracies. Using a regression discontinuity design in close electoral races, we find that women mayors reduce the size of local bureaucracies while simultaneously increasing the share of women public employees. Our findings thus show that women mayors' approach to bureaucratic reform once in office differs from that of their men counterparts, and contribute to existing research on the consequences of electing women.
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Keywords
FEMALE LEADERS, CORRUPTION, REPRESENTATION, CANDIDATES, SEX, RECRUITMENT, MINISTERS, CABINETS, PARTIES, AGENCY