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Electoral systems and female representation in politics: Evidence from a regression discontinuity

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  • Köppl-Turyna, Monika
  • Kantorowicz, Jarosław

Abstract

This work looks at the impact of electoral rules on female participation in local legislative bodies using a natural experiment involving a series of changes to electoral law in Poland. Using an exogenous population threshold dividing municipalities into ones with proportional and ones with majoritarian elections, we estimate the effect of each electoral system on female representation. Contrary to the literature on the national elections, we ftnd that more females are elected to local councils under a majoritarian system. We link this observation to countering party bias in list placements and lower costs of electoral participation in the majoritarian system.

Suggested Citation

  • Köppl-Turyna, Monika & Kantorowicz, Jarosław, 2022. "Electoral systems and female representation in politics: Evidence from a regression discontinuity," Research Papers 18, EcoAustria – Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ecoarp:18
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    electoral rules; forms of government; female representation; regression discontinuity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior

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