Chaudhuri, Ananish, Iversen, Vegard, Jensenius, Francesca R. and Maitra, Pushkar (2022) Time in office and the changing gender gap in dishonesty: evidence from local politics in India. American Journal of Political Science. pp. 1-17. ISSN 0092-5853 (Print), 1540-5907 (Online) (doi:10.1111/ajps.12733)

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Abstract

Increasing the share of women in politics is often promoted as a means to reduce corruption. Recent studies indicate the importance of considering the gender gap in corruption as a dynamic, rather than static, phenomenon. Our study combines data from surveys and incentivized behavioral games among 400 inexperienced and experienced local politicians in West Bengal, India. We find no gender gap in attitudes towards corruption. However, in incentivized games, inexperienced female politicians are more honest than their male counterparts. No such gender gap exists among experienced politicians. Drawing on a theoretical discussion of four possible mechanisms, we find that the apparent increase in dishonest behavior among female politicians is associated with lower risk-aversion and stronger political networks. Our findings indicate that women, like men, are socialized into their local political culture, and that benefits from changing who is elected may be short-lived unless that culture is also changed.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Earlier versions of the paper (May 2021) exist here: https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/sites/internet/files/2021-05/Time_in_Offce_and_the_Changing_Gender_Gap_in_Dishonesty.pdf - and here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3576294
Uncontrolled Keywords:	corruption; dishonesty; gender; India; South Asia; experiments
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare J Political Science > JQ Political institutions Asia
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Development Studies Research Group Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Livelihoods & Institutions Department Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Society, Environment and Development (CSED) Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Society, Environment and Development (CSED) > Gender & Social Difference
Last Modified:	27 Nov 2024 15:13
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/35175

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