Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science

本博士论文项目涉及妇女在立法机构中的政策影响这一重要但鲜有研究的问题。该项目探讨了女性州议员对独特政策成果的贡献程度，以及这种影响最强烈的条件。潜在的假设是，女性现在在代表性风格上与男性相似，但她们对反映其特殊需求和生活经历的结果有影响。研究人员采用了多种方法的研究设计，包括邮件调查，在。个人访谈，以及八个州的档案资料。这项研究的独特之处在于，它把立法机构作为调查男女立法活动的不同比例对立法结果的影响的主要分析单位。这项研究有望为进一步研究女性在政治中的作用提供一个基线。

This Doctoral Dissertation project addresses an important, yet little researched, question on the policy impact of women in legislative bodies. The project explores the extent to which female state legislators contribute toward distinctive policy outcomes, and the conditions under which such impact is strongest. The underlying assumption is that women are now similar to men in representational style, but that they are having an impact on outcomes which reflects their special needs and life experiences. The researcher employs a multiple methods research design consisting of mail surveys, in.person interviews, and archival data from eight states. The research is unique in its focus on the legislature as the primary unit of analysis in investigating the impact of varying proportions of men and women's legislative activity on legislative outcomes. The research from this study promises to provide a baseline for further investigations of the role of women in politics.