MACMILLAN Women in Governing Institutions in South Asia: Parliament, Civil Service and Local Government

This edited volume examines policies aimed at increasing the representation of women in governing institutions in six South Asian countries. Divided into three parts, it addresses the implications of uniformity and diversity for the substantive representation of women in parliament, civil service and local government. The contributing authors explore the scope and limits of ‘positive discriminatory policies’ within distinct country contexts, and the implications of the lack of such policies in other countries. Their findings shed new light on the extent to which the higher presence of women in different governing institutions matters, particularly in respect of promoting women’s issues; and also on the way men and women in different governing institutions look upon each other’s roles and adopt strategies for mutual adjustment. This innovative collection will appeal to students and scholars of gender studies, public policy and administration, international relations, law and political science. Review “This book fills a gap in the literature on women and politics, since comparative research on women in government in South Asia has only been limited so far. The book analyses the changes, however slow, for women in parliament, in local government and also as civil servants, which makes it particularly interesting, because of the longstanding power of the bureaucracy in this region.” (Drude Dahlerup, Professor of Political Science, University of Stockholm, Sweden) “By providing a multi-scalar and regional perspective on women's place in public life, Women in Governing Institutions in South Asia does great service to the feminist literature on governance as well as South Asian studies. The book takes a measured approach to women's role in parliaments, civil service and local government and analyses the challenges that women continue to face - personal and institutional - even as they progress in public life. Such comparative work is needed to support spread and improvement of gender equality policies across borders.” (Shirin M. Rai, Professor of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick, UK) “This important contribution highlights the inclusion of women in the context of the changing nature of societies, political structures and forces in South Asia. Based on primary research by a group of experts on countries of the region, the book weaves together accounts of traditions, reforms, successes and failure of initiatives for gender equality in governing institutions. This timely and relevant volume contributes to the existing bank of knowledge and presents insight on the state of inclusion in the region. The book raises intellectually exciting questions and uses evidence to offer a better understanding of developments on the ground and emerging trends on gender equality in South Asia and beyond. Findings of this highly recommended book will be useful for generating debates on strategies for inclusion and developing a framework for analyzing the state of inclusion in developing countries.” (Ahmed Shafiqul Huque, Professor of Political Science, McMaster University, Canada) About the Author Nizam Ahmed is Professor of Public Administration at the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. His previous books include Public Policy and Governance in Bangladesh (2016), and Parliaments in Asia (co-edited with Lord Norton, 1999).