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Affirmative action and empowerment: friends or foes?

Author

Listed:
  • Vidya Atal

    (Montclair State University)

  • Ram Sewak Dubey

    (Montclair State University)

Abstract

We consider effects of quota or "affirmative action" for women at work-places on the societal outcomes. A simple model of household decision making with production and endogenously determined female power is studied. We show that even under standard economic modeling specifications, as a result of affirmative action, it could turn out to be the case that female labor force participation and social welfare rise but at the cost of diminished female power and wider male-female wage-gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Vidya Atal & Ram Sewak Dubey, 2014. "Affirmative action and empowerment: friends or foes?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 34(2), pages 1012-1018.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-14-00191
    as

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    File URL: http://www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2014/Volume34/EB-14-V34-I2-P93.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kaushik Basu, 2006. "Gender and Say: a Model of Household Behaviour with Endogenously Determined Balance of Power," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 116(511), pages 558-580, April.
    2. Leonard, Jonathan S, 1989. "Women and Affirmative Action," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 3(1), pages 61-75, Winter.
    3. David Neumark & Harry Holzer, 2000. "Assessing Affirmative Action," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(3), pages 483-568, September.
    4. Raghabendra Chattopadhyay & Esther Duflo, 2004. "Women as Policy Makers: Evidence from a Randomized Policy Experiment in India," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 72(5), pages 1409-1443, September.
    5. Bina Agarwal, 1997. "''Bargaining'' and Gender Relations: Within and Beyond the Household," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 1-51.
    6. Vidya Atal, 2017. "Say at home, or stay at home? Policy implications on female labor supply and empowerment," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 1081-1103, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Vidya Atal, 2017. "Say at home, or stay at home? Policy implications on female labor supply and empowerment," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 1081-1103, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    affirmative action; women's empowerment; wage-gap;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J7 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination
    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior

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