Bystanders or Contesters? Women’s Political Representation and Quality of Government in the Local Councils of Albania

ABSTRACT A growing body of scholarly work underscores that the relationship between women’s political representation and quality of government is stronger in democracies than in authoritarian regimes. The relationship, however, is less clear in regimes that are neither fully-fledged democratic nor authoritarian. I investigate the gender gap in representatives’ efforts to push for improvements in the quality of government in the local councils of Albania following the implementation of gender quotas in 2015. Using the transcripts of council meetings, I identify the kind of practices that councilors challenge when holding local government officials to account, and I compare women with men. The study shows that councilors contest practices that concern law enforcement, impartiality, and transparency. Women, compared to men, are more likely to contest practices that concern transparency. The greatest gender gap is observed in councils where the implementation of gender quotas has disrupted male dominance, numerically speaking, the most.