This study focuses on the impact of female political leaders on policy decisions. A 1993 constitutional amendment called for one third of village council leaders to be reserved for women. These village councils control the allocation of funds for local infrastructure projects, such as construction and maintenance of drinking water and irrigation systems, road construction, and repair of schools and other public buildings. Political reservations were assigned with a set of rules to ensure random assignment of the leadership reservations. Data was collected on the village council leaders' characteristics (such as background, education, prior political experience, and political ambitions) and the infrastructure projects initiated by the leader in a set of village councils in two states: Rajasthan and West Bengal.

West Bengal and Rajasthan Gram Panchayat (village councils)

• Women invest more in infrastructure that relates to rural women's concerns (water and roads in West Bengal, water in Rajasthan).
• In West Bengal, men invest more in education.
• Women are more politically active in village councils with a female leader.

Raghabendra Chattopadhyay, Esther Duflo, Petia Topalova.

J-PAL Briefcase No. 1
J-PAL Periodicals.
January 2001

The Impact of Reservation in the Panchayati Raj: Evidence from a Nationwide Randomized Experiment
Raghabendra Chattopadhyay, Esther Duflo.
November 2003

Women as Policy Makers: Evidence from a Randomized Policy Experiment in India
Raghabendra Chattopadhyay, Esther Duflo.
September 2004

Why Political Reservations?
Esther Duflo.
May 2005

Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, Public Affairs Centre

India

Gender, Race, and Caste

National Institutes of Health; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Ash Institute, Harvard University; UNICEF; Yale Center of International and Area Studies

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Giving Schoolchildren a Chance