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The Power of Political Voice: Women's Political Representation and Crime in India

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September 10, 2013

The Power of Political Voice: Women's Political Representation and Crime in India

Using state-level variation in the timing of political reforms, we find that an increase in female representation in local government induces a large and significant rise in documented crimes against women in India. Our evidence suggests that this increase is good news, driven primarily by greater reporting rather than greater incidence of such crimes. In contrast, we find no increase in crimes against men or gender-neutral crimes.

Resource type
Author
Lakshmi Iyer, Anandi Mani, Prachi Mishra, Petia Topalova
Publication year
2011
Using state-level variation in the timing of political reforms, we find that an increase in female representation in local government induces a large and significant rise in documented crimes against women in India. Our evidence suggests that this increase is good news, driven primarily by greater reporting rather than greater incidence of such crimes. In contrast, we find no increase in crimes against men or gender-neutral crimes.

Resource type
Author
Lakshmi Iyer, Anandi Mani, Prachi Mishra, Petia Topalova
Publication year
2011