Working Papers

  1. When Quotas End: Household Continuity of Political Power in India

  2. Mere Proxies or Genuine Leaders (with Priyadarshi Amar and Apurva Bamezai)

In Progress

  1. Silent Shifts: Male Migration and the Feminization of Politics in India (Book Project)

  2. New Faces of Local Power (with Tanika Raychaudhuri)

Publications

  1. Left Behind or Left Ahead? Implications of Male Migration on Women’s Political Engagement in India (Forthcoming in the Journal of Politics)

    PDF | Ideas of India Podcast | Summary for Vox Dev

    How does the temporary absence of men from the household due to migration affect female political engagement? While studies on gender and politics have established the centrality of the household, they have largely overlooked how temporary changes in household composition shape political engagement. Using original data from a survey experiment (n=642) in Bihar, India, I show that the absence of male members, particularly a woman’s husband can lift implicit restrictions on female political engagement. Drawing on a primary survey (n=1900), and a nationally representative panel (n=24000), I argue that male migration, a significant global phenomenon resulting in routine absence of men, is leading to the feminization of political engagement. Through an increase in exposure to the public sphere, women make meaningful claims on the state, participate in civic activities, and discuss politics. Unlike existing resource-based theories, I find that female political engagement can increase even in the absence of financial autonomy

Other Writing

  1. What Lies Behind India’s Rising Female Voter Turnout? (link)

    In India, as in many democracies around the world, there has long been a discernible gender gap in citizens’ political participation. For decades, Indian men were significantly more likely to cast their ballots on election day compared to women. It is noteworthy, therefore, that in the country’s 2019 general election, the historic gap between male and female turnout came to an end; for the first time on record, women voters turned out to vote at higher rates than men. Predictions for India’s upcoming 2024 general election suggest that this trend is likely to continue. Therefore, the increase in female turnout in what remains a largely male-dominated political arena raises two important questions. Why is women’s turnout rising? And what impact might this have on electoral dynamics as India heads into the 2024 general elections?