Women’s Representation Improves Public Trust: Experimental Evidence from Three Fragile Democracies
With Luis Camacho and Zoe Grotophorst, funded by USAID, data collection complete
How does women’s presence in political decision-making affect citizens’ trust in government? Public trust is essential for building and sustaining democracy, especially in post-conflict states, yet the role of women's representation in facilitating citizens’ trust in government remains understudied. From a survey experiment with nationally representative samples in three post-conflict fragile democracies---Liberia, Guatemala, and Nepal---we find that women’s equal presence in political decision-making increases citizens’ trust in government bodies and the perceived fairness of decision-making processes. Our results are particularly strong among women respondents: gender-balanced representation closes the gender gap in public trust. Our findings highlight the role of women’s representation in democracy promotion broadly, and in increasing the political engagement of women citizens, specifically.
Gender Quotas and Perceptions of Democratic Legitimacy
With Diana O’Brien and Jennifer Piscopo, data collection complete
In past research from the United States, we show that women’s equal representation confers legitimacy to political decisions and decision-making processes (Clayton, O’Brien & Piscopo 2019). Here, we ask two related questions: First, does women’s presence also confer legitimacy when women are elected through gender quotas? Second, is this effect moderated by the strength of national quota policies? To answer these questions, we compare the legitimacy-conferring effects of both quota-elected and non-quota-elected women (relative to all-male groups) through a survey experiment in eight democracies. Our initial results support our expectations. Relative to all-male groups, women confer legitimacy to political decisions and processes, even when they are elected through quotas. These effects are largest in countries with strong quotas, where women’s representation is also highest. We also find evidence of a small “quota penalty.” Women elected through quotas confer slightly less legitimacy than women not elected through quotas. This penalty is smallest in countries where quota policies are strongest. Taken together, our results indicate that, in democratic countries, implementing legislative gender quotas does not undermine the normative and symbolic impact of women’s descriptive representation. On the contrary, our results show that since women’s inclusion always confers legitimacy relative to all-male groups, quotas contribute directly to legitimacy by breaking male dominance and electing more representative legislatures.
Gender, Deliberation, and Natural Resource Governance: Experimental Evidence from Malawi
With Amanda Robinson, Boniface Dulani, and Katrina Kosec, funded by the Balzan Foundation and IFPRI, fielding in progress
Tropical deforestation is estimated to cause about one-quarter of anthropogenic carbon emissions, the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions after fossil fuel combustion. Deforestation is also catastrophic for the communities that depend on tree harvesting for the livelihoods and who suffer the consequences of natural disasters linked to deforestation. Avoiding the over-harvesting of communal forests in Malawi and other developing countries is particularly difficult because community members face enormous incentives to over-harvest. As a result, between 1972 and 1992, Malawi’s total forest cover fell from 47 percent of total land cover to 20 percent. Our research asks whether and how including women in deliberative bodies around communal forest governance affects participatory forest management practices. This question is of particular relevance in Malawi, where women are formally required to occupy either half or one-third of the positions on Malawi’s key land administration institutions, including land tribunals and customary land committees – but these requirements are often loosely enforced if at all. Women also face many informal barriers to accessing information and fully participating in decision making due to gender and family norms, despite the fact that – as the primary gatherers and users of natural resources – their participation is crucial for change in resource utilization.
Study 1 (Summer 2023): To understand whether and how women’s participation in deliberative bodies shapes preferences and behavior, we will implement an experiment in 90 communities near the Zomba-Malosa Forest Reserve in Southern Malawi. Our project will bring together ordinary Malawians to discuss the issue of communal deforestation through a series of facilitated sessions that will be structured in a focus-group like format. In each facilitated session, participants will deliberate about the problem of deforestation and debate various solutions to combat ongoing deforestation in the country. The key feature of our intervention is to randomize the gender composition of the six-member groups that attend the discussion sessions, such that women comprise from zero to all six group members. We are interested in how women’s numeric presence changes the quantity and quality of group deliberations on communal forest governance. Further, we are interested in how participating in political discussions in groups with varying gender compositions affects women’s political efficacy on the issue of deforestation, land use, and climate change specifically, as well as measures of political efficacy more broadly.
Study 2 (2023-2024): The results of Study 1 will inform the design of a larger RCT aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of women’s presence in communal governance. Our current plan is to randomize the enforcement of existing gender quota laws on customary land committees. Legally, these land committees are chaired by a local chief, and are required to have at least 30 percent women members. We plan to work with the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare to enforce the existing de jure gender quotas requirements to assess how women's presence in these climate governance bodies affects deforestation outcomes in the the country.
Founding Narratives and Men’s Political Ambition: Experimental Evidence from U.S. Civics Lessons
With Diana O’Brien and Jennifer Piscopo, under review
One oft-cited reason for women’s political underrepresentation is that women express less political ambition than men. We reframe the puzzle of women’s ambition deficit, asking instead why men have an ambition surplus. Drawing on the concept of symbolic representation, we theorize that political symbols convey to men their capacity for exceptional political leadership. We test our expectations with a U.S.-based survey experiment in which respondents watch one of three “two-minute civics lessons.” We find that men who watch a video featuring the accomplishments of the U.S. Founding Fathers report significantly more political ambition than men assigned to the control group. We do not find significant effects among women. Rather, consistent with standard role model accounts, women report more ambition after watching a history lesson that highlights the accomplishments of both men and women historical figures. Our findings suggest that how history is told contributes to men’s persistent political overrepresentation.
EGAP Metaketa V: Women’s Action Committees and Local Services
Malawi team with Asiyati Chiweza, Boniface Dulani, and Amanda Robinson, funded by EGAP, fielding to begin in early 2023
Descriptions of the Metaketa Initiative here and the common treatment arm in Round V on women's action committees here.
Gender and Political Representation in Post-Pandemic Times
With Cecilia Josefsson and Pär Zetterberg, funded by the Swedish Research Council, data collection to begin in 2023
With Luis Camacho and Zoe Grotophorst, funded by USAID, data collection complete
How does women’s presence in political decision-making affect citizens’ trust in government? Public trust is essential for building and sustaining democracy, especially in post-conflict states, yet the role of women's representation in facilitating citizens’ trust in government remains understudied. From a survey experiment with nationally representative samples in three post-conflict fragile democracies---Liberia, Guatemala, and Nepal---we find that women’s equal presence in political decision-making increases citizens’ trust in government bodies and the perceived fairness of decision-making processes. Our results are particularly strong among women respondents: gender-balanced representation closes the gender gap in public trust. Our findings highlight the role of women’s representation in democracy promotion broadly, and in increasing the political engagement of women citizens, specifically.
Gender Quotas and Perceptions of Democratic Legitimacy
With Diana O’Brien and Jennifer Piscopo, data collection complete
In past research from the United States, we show that women’s equal representation confers legitimacy to political decisions and decision-making processes (Clayton, O’Brien & Piscopo 2019). Here, we ask two related questions: First, does women’s presence also confer legitimacy when women are elected through gender quotas? Second, is this effect moderated by the strength of national quota policies? To answer these questions, we compare the legitimacy-conferring effects of both quota-elected and non-quota-elected women (relative to all-male groups) through a survey experiment in eight democracies. Our initial results support our expectations. Relative to all-male groups, women confer legitimacy to political decisions and processes, even when they are elected through quotas. These effects are largest in countries with strong quotas, where women’s representation is also highest. We also find evidence of a small “quota penalty.” Women elected through quotas confer slightly less legitimacy than women not elected through quotas. This penalty is smallest in countries where quota policies are strongest. Taken together, our results indicate that, in democratic countries, implementing legislative gender quotas does not undermine the normative and symbolic impact of women’s descriptive representation. On the contrary, our results show that since women’s inclusion always confers legitimacy relative to all-male groups, quotas contribute directly to legitimacy by breaking male dominance and electing more representative legislatures.
Gender, Deliberation, and Natural Resource Governance: Experimental Evidence from Malawi
With Amanda Robinson, Boniface Dulani, and Katrina Kosec, funded by the Balzan Foundation and IFPRI, fielding in progress
Tropical deforestation is estimated to cause about one-quarter of anthropogenic carbon emissions, the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions after fossil fuel combustion. Deforestation is also catastrophic for the communities that depend on tree harvesting for the livelihoods and who suffer the consequences of natural disasters linked to deforestation. Avoiding the over-harvesting of communal forests in Malawi and other developing countries is particularly difficult because community members face enormous incentives to over-harvest. As a result, between 1972 and 1992, Malawi’s total forest cover fell from 47 percent of total land cover to 20 percent. Our research asks whether and how including women in deliberative bodies around communal forest governance affects participatory forest management practices. This question is of particular relevance in Malawi, where women are formally required to occupy either half or one-third of the positions on Malawi’s key land administration institutions, including land tribunals and customary land committees – but these requirements are often loosely enforced if at all. Women also face many informal barriers to accessing information and fully participating in decision making due to gender and family norms, despite the fact that – as the primary gatherers and users of natural resources – their participation is crucial for change in resource utilization.
Study 1 (Summer 2023): To understand whether and how women’s participation in deliberative bodies shapes preferences and behavior, we will implement an experiment in 90 communities near the Zomba-Malosa Forest Reserve in Southern Malawi. Our project will bring together ordinary Malawians to discuss the issue of communal deforestation through a series of facilitated sessions that will be structured in a focus-group like format. In each facilitated session, participants will deliberate about the problem of deforestation and debate various solutions to combat ongoing deforestation in the country. The key feature of our intervention is to randomize the gender composition of the six-member groups that attend the discussion sessions, such that women comprise from zero to all six group members. We are interested in how women’s numeric presence changes the quantity and quality of group deliberations on communal forest governance. Further, we are interested in how participating in political discussions in groups with varying gender compositions affects women’s political efficacy on the issue of deforestation, land use, and climate change specifically, as well as measures of political efficacy more broadly.
Study 2 (2023-2024): The results of Study 1 will inform the design of a larger RCT aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of women’s presence in communal governance. Our current plan is to randomize the enforcement of existing gender quota laws on customary land committees. Legally, these land committees are chaired by a local chief, and are required to have at least 30 percent women members. We plan to work with the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare to enforce the existing de jure gender quotas requirements to assess how women's presence in these climate governance bodies affects deforestation outcomes in the the country.
Founding Narratives and Men’s Political Ambition: Experimental Evidence from U.S. Civics Lessons
With Diana O’Brien and Jennifer Piscopo, under review
One oft-cited reason for women’s political underrepresentation is that women express less political ambition than men. We reframe the puzzle of women’s ambition deficit, asking instead why men have an ambition surplus. Drawing on the concept of symbolic representation, we theorize that political symbols convey to men their capacity for exceptional political leadership. We test our expectations with a U.S.-based survey experiment in which respondents watch one of three “two-minute civics lessons.” We find that men who watch a video featuring the accomplishments of the U.S. Founding Fathers report significantly more political ambition than men assigned to the control group. We do not find significant effects among women. Rather, consistent with standard role model accounts, women report more ambition after watching a history lesson that highlights the accomplishments of both men and women historical figures. Our findings suggest that how history is told contributes to men’s persistent political overrepresentation.
EGAP Metaketa V: Women’s Action Committees and Local Services
Malawi team with Asiyati Chiweza, Boniface Dulani, and Amanda Robinson, funded by EGAP, fielding to begin in early 2023
Descriptions of the Metaketa Initiative here and the common treatment arm in Round V on women's action committees here.
Gender and Political Representation in Post-Pandemic Times
With Cecilia Josefsson and Pär Zetterberg, funded by the Swedish Research Council, data collection to begin in 2023
