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Are Quotas a Good Idea? The Indian Experience with Reserved Seats for Women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2006

Medha Nanivadekar
Affiliation:
Shivaji University

Extract

The most important feature of a quota system is that it ensures representation of the target group in a much more definitive manner than does any other method. Quotas are a form of compensation for historical injustice suffered by identifiable groups and represent evidence of society's commitment to redress that injustice. Quotas offer greater legitimacy to a political system by ensuring greater representation and by integrating marginalized groups into the mainstream. Utilitarian justifications of quotas focus on the advantages of greater representation of all sections of society as a means of facilitating their contribution to the society. Quotas indicate that underrepresentation of marginal groups is not a statement of the groups' poor performance but of the system's poor performance at creating a level playing field.

Type
CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON GENDER AND POLITICS
Copyright
© 2006 The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association

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