Government Spending Shapes the Emergence of Women Candidates for Local Office

Women are underrepresented across all levels of government, yielding profound public policy consequences. Yet, policy outcomes may also shape who runs for office. To align research on women candidates and leaders, we consider both parts of the broader political ecosystem. Research shows women hesitate to run because politics do not fulfill their communal goals. But governments’ communal policy priorities vary, producing substantial differences in women’s entrance into politics. Analyzing over 70,000 Brazilian candidates and municipal spending patterns, we show that communal spending patterns at the local level and policy outputs predict women’s emergence. We provide consistent evidence that women’s interest in pursuing political office varies across place and time.