Empowered to Succeed? Quotas and Women's Descriptive Representation in Mixed Member Systems: Evidence from South Korea and Japan

Abstract

This thesis studies the spillover effects of gender quotas in Mixed Member Representative (MMR) electoral systems. While previous research has paid much attention to the differences between majoritarian and proportional systems, little attention has been paid to the unique institutional factors that can affect women's representation in MMR systems. These systems combine majoritarian and Proportional elements, but given that they exist in the same space, we expect these lists to affect each other through contagion effects. Gender quotas have been studied in many aspects of women's representation, but what can happen when a gender quota is implemented in a PR list inside an MMR system?. This thesis hypothesises that gender quotas in the proportional list will lead to an increase in candidates running for Single Member Districts (SMD), and an increase in the number of women elected. By utilising candidate data from South Korea and Japan, empirical evidence will demonstrate that the implementation of a gender quota for the proportional list in the mixed system, can increase the long-term representation of women, by giving them an insider track into winning election in SMD seats. Regression analysis using the Difference-in-Differences framework demonstrates, that a significant increase in the share women candidates, and their chances of winning SMD elections happened after the implementation of a gender quota. Further regression analysis shows that experience in PR lists increases the chances of winning SMD elections, and this effect holds even when controlling for beneficial placement of candidates. This implies that the advantage gained by PR experience is not related to managing to carve out a safe seat for oneself, but is rather related to some increase in ability to run a successful election campaign. In addition this thesis will present possible effects that this policy can have in Japan.