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Does democracy cause gender equality?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 September 2022

Thomas Barnebeck Andersen
Thomas Barnebeck Andersen*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, University of Southern Denmark Campusvej 55, Odense, DK-5230 Denmark
*
Corresponding author. Email: barnebeck@sam.sdu.dk
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Abstract

Does democracy cause gender equality? To address this question, I use the unexpected Second Vatican Council (1962–65) as part of a shock-based identification strategy. The Second Vatican Council brought forward in time transitions to democracy that would have happened anyway and triggered transitions to democracy that would not otherwise have occurred. I use this plausibly exogenous variation in democracy to offer a causal estimate. According to my baseline specification, one standard deviation increase in democracy leads to three-fifths of a standard deviation increase in gender equality. I also peruse qualitative evidence to sketch a causal mechanism.

Keywords

Democracygender equalityinstrumental variables estimationshock-based identificationN4P16
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Institutional Economics , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , April 2023 , pp. 210 - 228
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Millennium Economics Ltd.

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