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TheWilliam Anderson Awardis presented annually bythe American Political Science Association (APSA)to honorthe best dissertation in the general field of federalism or intergovernmental relations, state, and local politics.

Bhumi Purohit is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology. Her research examines the behavioral and institutional barriers to womens political representation, as well as institutional barriers to public service delivery. Purohits research is based in India and motivated by questions such as: Why do womens interests remain under-represented in politics, even with parity of electoral representation? How do gender biases about women politicians affect public service delivery outcomes in womens constituencies? In her dissertation, she examines this question by examining why and how bureaucracies create barriers for women once they are elected to office, particularly when bureaucrats sit at higher levels of office with the ability to strategically use discretion against lower-level politicians. In summer 2023, she will start as an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Georgetowns McCourt School.

Citation from the Award Committee:

Laments of Getting Things Done: Bureaucratic Resistance Against Female Politicians in India presents a path-breaking examination of bureaucratic resistance to locally elected women politicians in India. It is the first study to systematically examine the gendered nature of bureaucratic resistance at the local level, three decades after decentralization reforms introduced quotas for women in local elections. Based on new survey data collated among local bureaucrats and female politicians, the thesis demonstrates that bureaucrats exhibit bias against elected female politicians, expecting them to be less effective in implementing policies, less able to organize local communities to pressure the state, and that female elected village heads are significantly more likely than their male counterparts to report bureaucratic resistance. Local bureaucrats are often described as being forced to ration resources and time. This very fine contribution to our understanding of local politics and power in India provides a convincing explanation for how they make such decisions.

APSA thanksthe committee membersfor their service: Professor Louise Tillin (chair) of Kings College London, Dr. Charles R. Hankla of Georgia State University, and Professor Sara Niedzwiecki of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

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Bhumi Purohit Receives the 2023 William Anderson Award - - Political Science Now