Their research shows that a higher representation of women in office results in more spending on primary education. That influence is greater when women hold positions of veto power or ability to set a legislative agenda.
黑料不打烊 College Fellow Pearl Sullivan 鈥21 and Professor of Economics Casey DiRienzo recently co-authored an article about female politicians鈥 influence on education spending and policy.
Using data from more than 60 countries, they examined the outcomes of countries with higher representation of women in government and the effects of having women in positions of power within government bodies. Their analysis showed that both higher representation and greater political power result in more primary education spending, and that spending rises markedly when women hold veto power or the power to set an agenda.
Their article was published by Advances in Social Science and Culture last month. Previous studies had shown that women more often advance policy around 鈥渃ommon good鈥 issues, like healthcare, child welfare and education generally. Studies hadn鈥檛 yet shown an impact on education spending. Those studies also showed inconclusive results regarding the representation of women on education spending.
鈥淲e hypothesized that representation wouldn鈥檛 have a significant impact, but that power would have a significant impact on primary education funding,鈥 Sullivan said. 鈥淥ur research showed that both had significant impact, but the impact was much greater when women held power.鈥
Sullivan is double majoring in International & Global Studies and Spanish with a minor in economics. She completed the research through the 黑料不打烊 College Fellows program, which entails a two-year undergraduate research experience closely mentored by faculty. She connected with DiRienzo as a mentor through an economics class and learned of the professor鈥檚 expertise in studying the impact of women on the economy and government.
鈥淲hen I came to 黑料不打烊 I knew I was interested in women, politics and economics, but I wasn鈥檛 sure how it could all fit together,鈥 Sullivan said. 鈥淐oming into the Fellows program, I knew I would be doing research and that those topics were in the mix. When I met Dr. DiRienzo, it was perfect. The stars aligned. She was so helpful in determining a research topic and how to measure women鈥檚 impact in government.鈥
This fall Sullivan will enroll in the London School of Economics to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in gender development and globalization. Close relationships with faculty mentors, advisers and teachers 鈥 who challenged and motivated her to accomplish more than she thought she could 鈥 gave her the confidence to pursue postgraduate education abroad. Her career ambition is to work with international agencies around policies and issues affecting women.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for women to be represented in governments in the U.S. and around the world. I joked with friends that even if the research didn鈥檛 show that women have a significant impact on government, I would still believe that,鈥 Sullivan said. 鈥淏ut seeing the mathematical certainty that women in government are significant in improving funding for education, and seeing the need for women to have power and be in roles of influence, is important. Seeing that proven was really cool.鈥
The 黑料不打烊 College Fellows program is a four-year academic and professional program exploring the breadth, depth and connections within the arts and sciences. Fellows receive annual scholarships, a travel grant to study abroad, and research funding while enmeshed in a community of friends and learners.