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Can political representation help women upend entrenched systems of power? Property and Power finds evidence that quotas improve women's ability to claim fundamental economic rights. Yet greater voice is costly. Whether women experience benefits or backlash depends on individual bargaining power at the time a woman is elected.
List of contents
1. Introduction; 2. A theory of political representation and economic agency; 3. Property and power: a political history of the Hindu joint family; 4. Where are the women? Investigating reform's roots; 5. The politics of property rights enforcement; 6. The long arm of resistance: refusal to care for parents; 7. Representation and violence: gender equality and sex selection; 8. Conclusion.
About the author
Rachel Brulé is Assistant Professor of Global Development Policy at Boston University. She specializes in comparative politics, the political economy of development, gender, South Asia, representation, inequality, and migration.
Summary
Can political representation help women upend entrenched systems of power? Property and Power finds evidence that quotas improve women's ability to claim fundamental economic rights. Yet greater voice is costly. Whether women experience benefits or backlash depends on individual bargaining power at the time a woman is elected.
Additional text
'The study of property rights is undergoing a resurgence in political science. Rachel Brulé's stunning new book is at the forefront of this movement. Expertly combining the best tools of area studies and modern social science, Brulé shows how increases in women's political representation have altered social and property relations in India. Anyone interested in how low status groups can challenge a deeply entrenched status quo should read this book.' Timothy M. Frye, Columbia University, New York
