The focus here is on the process of women's engagement in political competition ... These are inspiring accounts of women's individual and collective triumphs over patriarchal interests, often achieved via independent, non-party paths to public office. This volume is packed with original data from recent research and it is a must-read for analysts of politics in contexts of transitions and decentralization.

Anne Marie Goetz, New York University

This highly engaging volume offers novel insights into the gendered pathways to political office in the global South. The rich empirical material compiled by knowledgeable country experts shows the importance of informal pathways and challenges some common assumptions about the factors that constrain and facilitate women's access.

Susan Franceschet, University of Calgary