Friday, September 7, 2018
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Harvard University
Francesca R. Jensenius specializes in comparative politics, comparative political economy, and research methods, with a regional focus on South Asia and Latin America. Her main research interest is how electoral dynamics and institutional design affect different types of inequality in society. This she pursues through a multi-method approach, combining large-scale data collection and analysis with extensive field work. Several of Jensenius' publications are about state approaches to empowering minorities and women and India and elsewhere. In the book Social Justice through Inclusion: The Consequences of Electoral Quotas in India (OUP 2017), she explored the long-term effects of electoral quotas for the Scheduled Castes (the former "untouchables"). She has also published on, among other things, the political inclusion of women in Indian politics, the link between the organizational features of political parties and electoral outcomes, and how electoral incentives affect local-level development patterns. Jensenius is currently working on the relationship between political institutions, electoral dynamics, and local-level development patterns in India, as well as a comparative project about how legal regimes and legal changes across the world differentially affect women and other marginalized communities.