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Lost in Representation? Feminist identity Economics and Women's Agency in India's Local Governments

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  • Ulrike Mueller

Abstract

In India, since 1992, quotas for women in local councils are a key policy mechanism to secure gender equality in political participation and foster rural development. Affirmative action measures were expected to particularly enhance women's agency regarding decisions on decentralized service delivery. However, to date, this potentially transformative reform to the local government system has produced mixed results. This study updates identity economics with intersectional and institutional theories to shed light on the agency of elected women representatives (EWRs) in different federal states of India. The findings show that institutions, including social norms, entail specific identity costs that reinforce stereotyped accounts on women's political agency. Additional policy measures are required to address the incurred costs and render quotas for women effective. The analysis illustrates that an identity economics perspective, grounded in feminist thought, can yield valuable insights for investigating women's agency and for designing gender-sensitive policies.

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  • Ulrike Mueller, 2016. "Lost in Representation? Feminist identity Economics and Women's Agency in India's Local Governments," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 158-182, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:22:y:2016:i:1:p:158-182
    DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2015.1086810
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    1. Desai, Sonalde & Dubey, Amaresh & Joshi, Brij Lal & Sen, Mitali & Sharif, Abusaleh & Vanneman, Reeve, 2010. "Human Development in India: Challenges for a Society in Transition," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198065128.
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    1. Tanya Jakimow, 2020. "The Familiar Face of the State: Affect, Emotion and Citizen Entitlements in Dehradun, India," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(3), pages 429-446, May.

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