Health and the political agency of women Articles uri icon

authors

  • BHALOTRA, SONIA
  • CLOTS FIGUERAS, IRMA

publication date

  • May 2014

start page

  • 164

end page

  • 197

issue

  • 2

volume

  • 6

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1945-7731

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1945-774X

abstract

  • We investigate whether women's political representation in state legislatures improves public provision of antenatal and childhood health services in the districts from which they are elected, arguing that the costs of poor services in this domain fall disproportionately upon women. Using large representative data samples from India and accounting for potential endogeneity of politician gender and the sample composition of births, we find that a 10 percentage point increase in women's representation results in a 2.1 percentage point reduction in neonatal mortality, and we elucidate mechanisms. Women's political representation may be an underutilized tool for addressing health in developing countries.

keywords

  • neonatal-mortality; infant-mortality; child survival; fetal origins; rural india; gender; policy; responsiveness; fluctuations; preferences