Women’s political representation and transparency in local governance

Araujo, J. F. F. E., & Tejedo-Romero, F. (2016). Women’s political representation and transparency in local governance. In Local Government Studies (Vol. 42, Issue 6, pp. 885–906). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2016.1194266This episode explores the influence of women's political representation (WPR) on municipal transparency in Spain, based on a study by Araujo and Tejedo-Romero (2016). Analyzing data from 100 municipalities and the Transparency Index (TI) of Transparency International Spain between 2008 and 2012, the study highlights key findings on governance and accountability.Results show that WPR positively impacts transparency—municipalities with more female council members and mayors tend to be more transparent. The 2007 Spanish Electoral Law, which introduced gender quotas in electoral lists, contributed to this shift.Other factors, including voter participation, municipal investment, tax pressure, and unemployment, also influence local government transparency. Over the years, transparency levels in Spanish municipalities have steadily increased. This episode examines the role of gender representation in governance and how political and economic factors shape transparency in local administrations.