The challenge
Gender quotas are often argued to be at odds with meritocracy, raising fears that they lower the competence of politicians.
The case
In 1993 the Swedish Social Democratic Party implemented a zipper quota requiring local parties to alternate men and women on the ballot. Timothy Besley, Olle Folke, Torsten Persson and Johanna Rickne measured the competence of all politicians in 7 parties, 290 municipalities and 10 elections from 1982 to 2014, using register data on the earnings of the whole population. They found that the quota raised the competence of male politicians in the places where it raised female representation the most.
Why it worked
The authors conclude that the quota was 'far from being at odds with meritocracy', and argue that the resignation of mediocre male leaders was a key driver of the effect.
Sources
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