2 - A Theory of Political Representation and Economic Agency

Summary

How do women access social, economic, and political power in settings where multiple, interlinked systems prevent female influence and agency? More fundamentally: how does a low status group challenge and destabilize what prior to that point appeared to be a highly stable, inegalitarian system? In this chapter, I construct a theory linking women’s political representation to their economic agency. I utilize analysis of electoral behavior and negotiations of political authority and rights garnered from extensive field research to develop my “gatekeeper theory” of how women’s representation impacts enforcement of economic rights and subsequent welfare. I argue that constitutional reforms mandating female representation catalyze change. We see this clearly where economic reforms present an opportunity for women to translate political voice into entitlements to inherit the most precious resource and primary repository of wealth in contemporary India: land. Whether an individual experiences backlash or benefits depends on her bargaining power at the time she gains enforceable property rights, thanks to the confluence of reform and quotas mandating female representation. I include individual narratives to explain the scope and significance of my theory. I also investigate how social norms and their enforcement and contestation are evolving in light of changing political representation.