Research Insights: Can Electoral Incentives Explain Gender Differences in Leaders' Behavior?
Peer Reviewed
Date issued
Aug 2023
Subject
Gender;
Municipal Government;
Gender Segregation;
Voting Behavior;
Women;
Gender Discrimination;
Gender Bias;
Elections;
Female Leadership;
Pandemic;
Coronavirus
JEL code
D72 - Political Processes: Rent-Seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior;
J16 - Economics of Gender • Non-labor Discrimination;
I18 - Government Policy • Regulation • Public Health
Country
United States
Category
Catalogs and Brochures
Female and male mayors in Brazil responded differently to the COVID-19 crisis, with effects on mortality that varied over time. In the early months of the pandemic, female-led municipalities were less likely to close essential businesses and had higher COVID-19 death rates compared to male-led municipalities. Towards the end of the year 2020, however, female-led municipalities were more likely to close essential businesses and had fewer COVID-19 deaths than male-led municipalities. This suggests that female and male mayors handled the crisis in distinct ways, with implications for understanding gender differences in policymaking and crisis management.
