Resource Rent Dependency, Political Institutions and The Legislative Response to Violence Against Women

Why do states take actions addressing violence against women (VAW)? Despite the emerging international consensus recognizing VAW as a flagrant violation of human rights (Joachim, 1999), there exists a noticeably diversity in governmental responses to this form of violence. Given the severe consequences of VAW on the health and well-being of women and girls worldwide (Vives-Cases et al., 2011), as well as its detrimental impact on socioeconomic development prospects (Pyles, 2008), research has recently delved into understanding why some states enact legislation on this issue while others lag behind.

This proposal posits that economic factors may play a pivotal role in shaping state decisions on women's rights. Specifically, it seeks to explore how legislation on VAW is influenced by the country's natural resource wealth and whether the country's institutional design moderates such potential economic effect.

Comparative political economy has extensively examined the state's reliance on natural resources and the far-reaching economic, political, and social consequences that stem from it. Research findings indicate that an abundance of natural resources can lead to enduring effects, including heightened poverty rates (Karl, 2007), political instability (Jensen & Watchenkon, 2004), diminished economic growth (Savoia & Sen, 2021) and reduced investments in human capital (Cockx & Francken, 2016).

Moreover, a substantial body of research suggests that natural resources alone do not inevitably result in this "curse". Instead, institutional design and performance play a pivotal role in shaping its final outcomes. Factors such as executive constraints, judicial independence, and electoral competitiveness can potentially transform the "resource curse" into a "resourceblessing" (Masi & Ricciuti, 2019; Mehlum et al., 2006).

However, there is a significant gap addressing the consequences of resource wealth for gender equality and women's rights. Specifically, comprehensive comparative research on women's rights legislation and the moderating role of political institutions remains lacking. This proposal stands as the first to comprehensively consider both of these dimensions.

Furthermore, despite an established body of literature examining the diffusion of sex-equity laws considering diverse factors like the presence of female parliamentarians (Htun & Weldon, 2018), the role of party ideology (Wib & Wohlgemuth, 2023) or the influence of international pressure (Hunt & Gruszczynski, 2019), none have yet considered economic influences such as the abundance of natural resources in explaining why states legislate (or not) in favour of women. Therefore, this proposal also seeks to advance the understanding of the broader determinants shaping recent state-level legislation related to women's rights by exploring the intricate connection between the source of state income, institutions, and measures addressing VAW.