A voucher-based penalty recycling, banking and trading proposal to induce gender equality in political representation

Abstract

Gender disparity and discrimination continues to be a pervasive phenomenon in many spheres of public life despite being targeted under the Millenium Development Goals. Nowhere is this bias more apparent than in political representation. The situation is critical in developing nations where gender inequality in political representation accompanies and reinforces other forms of gender suppression. This paper unearths a 'gender externality' that prolongs gender suppression in political fora constituted by elected members. The externality justifies government intervention in electoral financing to restore gender equality. The paper proposes and presents the rationale behind a voucher-based, gender penalty recycling policy and demonstrates how it corrects this social externality. The proposed solution exemplifies the role of economics in social problems traditionally considered beyond its orb.