Does political affirmative action undermine or promote development? We present the first
systematic analysis of Scheduled Areas in India, home to 100 million, where local political …

Despite the good intentions behind affirmative action (AA) policies to mediate'horizontal
inequalities' between ethnic groups, the evidence on their effectiveness remains open to …

This paper examines several ways in which electoral gender quotas affect the political
system. It uses data on reserved seat quotas for women in village councils in the Indian state …

Numerous countries have established local elected governments to improve public goods
delivery and reduce information asymmetry between the state and citizens. These …

Discussion Papers in Economics The importance of being earnest: What explains the gender
quota effect in politics? February, 202 Page 1 Discussion Papers in Economics The importance …

We estimate the impacts of mandated political reservation for minorities on household credit
access and borrowing behavior. To identify causal effects, we exploit the exogenous state …

While gender quotas in politics have been adopted worldwide, evidence on their impact on
women's substantive representation is mixed. To examine this issue, we estimate the …

While education equality is considered crucial for broader social equality, policies that aim to
equalize educational resources are sometimes suspected of discriminating against high …

This dissertation focuses on the ways in which cultural norms moderate the effectiveness of
gender quotas in rural communities. Mandating that women representatives must be present …

This thesis consists of three empirical essays that explore distinct themes in the realm of
political economy and economics of institutions. All, in essence, are investigations into the …