This paper examines how female politicians motivate women to run for office.
Data & Methods: Researchers analyzed over 1,500 municipal elections in Switzerland using an original dataset spanning from the first post-women suffrage election.
Key Finding: The election of a woman in one municipality increased female candidates by approximately 10% in neighboring municipalities during the next election cycle.
Why It Matters Now?: This inspiration effect is temporary, diminishing over time and disappearing entirely within sixteen years unless supported by ongoing new female candidates or non-incumbent leadership.
Core Mechanism: The observed diffusion of influence primarily occurred when no incumbent female politicians were seeking re-election in target municipalities.
The findings suggest that while role models can spark initial increases in women's representation, they alone cannot sustain long-term change.
