Politics, Gender and Health: Insight from Argentina's Provinces

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Professor James McGuire (Wesleyan University) - Is greater political representation for women associated with better health outcomes? Previous research has linked women's legislative representation to greater public health care spending, more widespread use of basic health care services, and better health status. Most such research has been carried out, however, either at the cross-national level or across subnational units (states, districts) in the United States or India. This study explores the association between women's legislative representation and health outcomes in the provinces of Argentina.
To an unusual degree, provincial governments in Argentina control health care spending, health service provision, and other interventions relevant to health status. Provincial legislatures also very widely both across the country and over time in the share of legislative seats held by women. The study's central finding is that a greater share of provincial legislative seats held by women is associated with fewer births outside medical facilities and lower infant and maternal mortality.

James McGuire is Professor of Government and Chair of the Department of Government at Wesleyan University (USA). He holds a PhD from the University of California-Berkeley and has published widely on Latin American politics, including Peronism without Perón: Unions, Parties, and Democracy in Argentina (1997) and Wealth, Health, and Democracy in East Asia and Latin America (2010).

The Department of International Development at Kings College London and UCL Institute of the Americas are pleased to co-sponsor this event.