California Accepted Papers Paper:
The Indirect Effects of Political Representativity
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
I analyze close elections between male and female mayoral candidates in Brazilian municipalities
to provide evidence of the indirect effects of electing female politicians. Using data
from a tertiary education entry exam that takes place after elections but before a politicians
takes charge in office I show that the election of female politicians is associated with an increase
in attendance, this effect is particularly strong for municipalities whose mayors have
campaign spending above the mean. Furthermore, timing of events rules out policy effects
as an explanation for our results. I interpret our findings as suggestive evidence that elected
female mayors may act as role models, motivating minority students.
