The link between gender and corruption has been studied since the late 1990s. Debates have been heated and scholars accused of bringing forward stereotypical beliefs about women as the fair sex. Policy proposals for bringing more women to office have been criticized for promoting unrealistic quick-fix solutions to deeply rooted problems. This edited volume advances the knowledge surrounding the link between gender and corruption by including studies where the historical roots of corruption are linked to gender and by contextualizing the exploration of relationships, for example by distinguishing between democracies versus authoritarian states and between the electoral arena versus the administrative branch of governmentthe bureaucracy. Taken together, the chapters display nuances and fine-grained understandings. The book highlights that gender equality processes, rather than the exclusionary categories of women and men, should be at the forefront of analysis, and that developments strengthening the position of women vis-à-vis men affect the quality of government.

Helena Stensöta is Associate Professor at the Quality of Government Institute, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Lena Wängnerudis Professor at the Quality of Government Institute, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Section I Introduction.- Chapter 1 Why Expect a Link between Gender and Corruption?;Helena O. Stensöta andLena Wängnerud.- Chapter 2 The Historic Roots of Quality of Government: The Role of Gender Equality;Amy C. Alexander.- Chapter 3 Corruption, Gender Equality and Meritocracy;Bo Rothstein.-Section II  Citizens and the Electoral Arena;Chapter 4 Gender and Citizen Responses to Corruption among Politicians: The U.S. and Brazil.-Leslie A. Schwindt-Bayer, Justin Esareyand Erika Schumacher.- Chapter 5 Why Do Some Voters Prefer Female Candidates? The Role of Perceived Incorruptibility in Arab Elections;Lindsay J. Benstead andEllen Lust.- Chapter 6 Gender Quotas and the Re(pro)duction of Corruption;Elin Bjarnegård,Mi Yung YoonandPär Zetterberg.-Section III Engendering the Bureaucracy.- Chapter 7 Corruption and Female Representation in the Bureaucracy;Helena O. Stensöta.- Chapter 8 Is Womens Political Representation Beneficial for Womens Interests in Authoritarian Contexts? Theory and Evidence from Post-Soviet Russia;Marina Nistotskayaand Helena O. Stensöta.-Section IV Gender, Change, and Corruption.- Chapter 9 Does Gender Matter? Female Politicians Engagement in Anti-Corruption Efforts;Amy C. Alexander andAndreas Bågenholm.- Chapter 10 Gender and Corruption in Mexico. Building a Theory on Conditioned Causality;Marcia Grimes andLena Wängnerud.- Chapter 11 Gender Aspects of Government Auditing;Mattias Agerberg,Maria Gustavson,Aksel Sundström, andLena Wängnerud.-Section V New Avenues for Research.- Chapter 12 Corruption as Exploitation. Feminist Exchange Theories and the Link between Gender and Corruption;Helen Lindberg andHelena O. Stensöta.- Chapter 13 Focusing on Masculinity and Male-dominated Networks in Corruption;Elin Bjarnegård.- Chapter 14  Final Thoughts: Taking stock and reflections on ways forward;Helena O. Stensöta.