Policy effectiveness of U.S. governors: The role of gender and changing institutional powers

Abstract

Synopsis The demographic, cultural and gender representation of state governors has changed dramatically over the past four decades. Further, the institutional powers of governors have continued to increase over the past few decades. The role of women governors in the policy arena is of particular interest with more women elected and appointed to these positions every year. A review of the literature related to gender differences in leadership styles, group behaviors, and policy interests is presented, followed by a binomial generalized linear model testing the relationship between gender, gubernatorial powers and gubernatorial policy effectiveness. As more women serve as high ranking policy executives, understanding the role of gender is both a timely and relevant research question.