Gender balance in Italian electoral system: some empirical reflections on determinants

In last years, more and more scholars and institutions are analyzing social dynamics of gender equality across different fields. In this context, the present work focuses on gender dynamics in politics, analyzing the effect of the Italian law n.215/2012 on the presence of women in elections, both in terms of candidates and winners. Indeed, this law introduces a "gender balance rule", since it attempts to fight the phenomenon of minor representation, and sometimes the exclusion, of women from Italian politics at all levels (municipality, regional, national). The availability of microdata on candidates and election winners in Italian municipalities for the time span over the law 215/2012 implementation allows evaluating the impact of the norm in contrasting the exclusion/minor representation phenomenon. Data on municipalities can be grouped by regions and compared with results from Italian regional elections in order to compare the local trends of female representation. Linking spatial, economic and social characteristics of municipalities and regions with electoral data on candidates and election winners will allow an econometric evaluation of factors affecting the male/female probability of candidacy and election at the municipality and regional levels. This study can provide very relevant considerations for policy-makers to align disparity between men and women regarding the access to politics. Moreover, results can suggest the most suitable instruments to encourage women empowerment.