The Role of Women in Local Governments: An Analysis of Efficiency in Spain

Abstract

Female representation may be a key factor in improving the quality of governance. In fact, the literature considers that the presence of women in organisations tends to improve performance. In this context, this paper attempts to analyse whether the presence of women in municipal councils has an influence on the efficiency of public services for a sample of 141 Spanish municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants for the period 2014–2018. Our results show a U-shaped relationship between the number of female councillors and the level of efficiency in Spanish municipalities. This means that the presence of women is positively associated with municipal efficiency but only if the number of female councillors is relatively high. On the contrary, their voice and personal characteristics are diluted among their male counterparts, and efficiency may be reduced.

An Introduction to Volume 59, Issue 4

“…Once women are elected, however, their presence makes a difference in how efficiently government operates. Ríos, Guillamón, and Cuadrado-Ballesteros (2023), in an analysis of more than one hundred Spanish cities, find that when the number of women city councilors reaches a critical mass, local governments perform more efficiently. Consistent with concerns about tokenism, the authors show that the presence of only a few women in elected office does little to boost efficiency.…”

“…They also assess the presence of women mayors, which we might consider in dialogue with the Tolley, Lawlor, and Fortier-Chouinard (2023) findings; women mayors in Spanish cities had a negative association with government efficiency. Ríos, Guillamón, and Cuadrado-Ballesteros (2023) suggest that social role theory linking female characteristics to responsible behavior in government could explain their findings about councilors; on the other hand, they suggest that women mayors’ decision-making could reflect a different set of individual influences and institutional constraints.…”