GV4L5 Half Unit
Politics, Gender, and Development
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Dr Nirvikar Jassal
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Political Science (Conflict Studies and Comparative Politics), MSc in Political Science (Global Politics), MSc in Political Science (Political Behaviour), MSc in Political Science (Political Science and Political Economy), MSc in Public Policy and Administration and MSc in Regulation. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
How to apply: to apply for a place on this course, please write a short statement of 200 words (max) outlining the specific reasons for applying and how the course will benefit your academic/career goals. Priority will be given to students on the programmes listed in the ‘availability’ section of the course guide. You should check that you meet any pre-requisites in the course guide before applying (where applicable). Places on capped courses cannot be guaranteed.
Deadline for application: The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on Friday 26 September 2025. You can expect to be informed of the outcome of your application by 12:00 noon on Monday 29 September 2025. Any places remaining after this date will be allocated based on priority and written statement - up until course selection closes.
For queries contact: gov.msc@lse.ac.uk
This course has a limited number of places (it is controlled access). In previous years we have been able to provide places for all students that apply but that may not continue to be the case.
Priority will be given to students on the programmes listed above.
Requisites
Additional requisites:
Familiarity with basic research design and introductory statistics is strongly recommended.
Course content
While political science scholarship on gender often focuses on disparities between men and women in terms of political participation, the way inequalities in other domains such as (a) health, (b) education, (c) criminal justice, and (d) the bureaucracy intersect with politics may sometimes be overlooked. This course provides a survey of empirical social science research on gender over the past 20-years primarily from the disciplines of development economics and political science. The scholarship covers a wide range of countries, including those in the Global South. Some of the topics that the course will cover include: how does the representation of women in political institutions affect development? Are there any state policies that can serve to reduce gender-based violence or improve women’s access to property rights? How can discrimination against the LGBTQ community be reversed? Broadly, the class explores research related to why and where disparities persist between men and women, as well as what kind of interventions – adopted by governments, NGOs, and other agencies – mitigate these gaps, as well as make public institutions more equitable and inclusive.
Teaching
20 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.
Formative assessment
Essay
As a formative assessment, students will be expected to produce an outline for their final essay. This will enable them to gain feedback for their final or summative assessment.
Indicative reading
- Chattopadhyay, Raghabendra, and Esther Duflo. 2004. “Women as Policy Makers: Evidence from a Randomized Policy Experiment in India.” Econometrica 72 (5): 1409–43.
- Alesina, Alberto, Paola Giuliano, and Nathan Nunn. 2013. “On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough *.” The Quarterly Journal of Economics 128 (2): 469–530.
- Mendelberg, Tali, Christopher F. Karpowitz, and Nicholas Goedert. 2014. “Does Descriptive Representation Facilitate Women’s Distinctive Voice? How Gender Composition and Decision Rules Affect Deliberation.” American Journal of Political Science 58 (2): 291–306.
- Bos, Angela L., Jill S. Greenlee, Mirya R. Holman, Zoe M. Oxley, and J. Celeste Lay. 2022. “This One’s for the Boys: How Gendered Political Socialization Limits Girls’ Political Ambition and Interest.” American Political Science Review 116 (2): 484–501.
- Carrell, Scott E., Marianne E. Page, and James E. West. 2010. “Sex and Science: How Professor Gender Perpetuates the Gender Gap.” The Quarterly Journal of Economics 125 (3): 1101–44.
Assessment
Essay (100%, 4000 words) in Spring Term Week 2
The summative assessment comprises one final take-home essay which will be either (a) an essay on the readings or, alternatively, (b) on an original research topic following discussion with the convenor.
Key facts
Department: Government
Course Study Period: Winter Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Total students 2024/25: 16
Average class size 2024/25: 16
Controlled access 2024/25: NoCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Problem solving
- Application of numeracy skills
- Specialist skills