Women and corruption in South Asia

This chapter reviews research on women and corruption in public office in South Asia. Overall, we find little evidence of a gender gap in corruption in politics in South Asia, especially in high-level office. We argue that this is related to how women enter into politics and the incentives they face while in office. In high-level positions, most women enter politics because of familial connections, and they are unlikely to succeed in the high-stakes political game unless they are willing and able to play as tough as their male colleagues. At the local level, on the other hand, women mostly come to power through electoral quotas. Here, the evidence suggests that women are less prone to corrupt behavior initially, though among more seasoned local politicians, men and women are as likely to engage in dishonest or corrupt behavior. These findings indicate that until institutional-level reforms take place that reduce corruption overall, inclusion of women alone will not be enough to dent widespread corruption.