This ISG will discuss the impact of electing a female leader on service access and public spending.
Event details
Time: 8:30-10:00am WIB // 12:30-2:00pm AEDT
Join in-person: McDonald Room, Menzies Library, ANU
Join online: bit.ly/ISG_indonesiaproject
Co-Authors: Ruth Nikijuluw (The World Bank), Nurina Merdikawati (ANU), Joseph Marshan (Monash University Indonesia)
Abstract
We investigate the causal impact of electing a female mayor to shed light on the role of women as policymakers. We use data from Indonesian districts with close elections between male and female mayoral candidates over the past two decades. To address the non-random assignment of female leadership, we employ randomisation-based inference within a regression discontinuity design. We find that districts led by women exhibit a higher share of births attended by skilled health workers, and a higher net enrolment at both primary and secondary levels. These improvements appear to be driven by greater public investment in education and health. Overall, our findings suggest that female leaders have distinct policy preferences, highlighting the role of gender in shaping policy choices.
Closed captioning will be available for all online Zoom presentations. If you are attending in person and require accessibility accommodations or a visitor Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP), please contact the ANU Indonesia Project at Indonesia.Project@anu.edu.au
Image: Former Regent of Nunukan, Hj. Asmin Laura from Instagram @asminlaura.hafid
Event Speakers
Joseph Marshan
Joseph Marshan is an Assistant Professor at Monash University, Indonesia. He holds a PhD in Economics from the Research School of Economics at The Australian National University. His research interests lie in applied microeconomics, particularly in areas related to gender, trade, labor, and poverty.