Negotiating gender equity in the global South : the politics of domestic violence policy / edited by Sohela Nazneen, Sam Hickey, and Eleni Sifaki.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The politics of gender equity : setting the scene -- Beyond the inclusion-to-influence debate : the politics of negotiating gender equity / Sohela Nazneen and Sam Hickey -- Investigating the politics of gender equity through a power domains approach / Sam Hickey and Sohela Nazneen -- Ending domestic violence : the politics of global norm diffusion / Sophie King and Eleni Sifaki -- The power of strongmen and ruling coalitions : dominant settlements -- Contesting ideas, aligning incentives : the politics of Uganda's Domestic Violence Act (2010) / Josephine Ahikire and Amon Mwiine -- Establishing a strong political commitment to gender equity : the politics of Rwanda's law on prevention and punishment of gender-based violence (2008) / Jennie E. Burnet -- Achieving a broad-based coalition : the politics of South Africa's Domestic Violence Act (1998) / Lillian Artz and Val�erie Grand Maison -- The significance of informal networks : competitive settlements -- Building strategic relationships with the political elites : the politics of Bangladesh's Domestic Violence Act (2010) / Sohela Nazneen -- Between democratization and patronage : the politics of Ghana's Domestic Violence Act (2007) / Beatrix Allah-Mensah and Rhoda Osei-Afful -- Building strong alliances : the politics of the protection of domestic violence act in India (2006) / Asmita Basu -- Concluding thoughts and ways forward -- How does politics shape gender equity in the global South? : a comparative analysis / Sohela Nazneen and Sam Hickey -- Researching the politics of gender equity : next steps / Georgina Waylen -- From transformative policy to transforming political settlements / Anne Marie Goetz.

The fact that women have achieved higher levels of political inclusion within low- and middle-income countries has generated much speculation about whether this is reaping broader benefits in tackling gender-based inequalities. This book uncovers the multiple political dynamics that influence governments to adopt and implement gender equity policies, pushing the debate beyond simply the role of women's inclusion in influencing policy. Bringing the politics of development into discussion with feminist literature on women's empowerment, the book proposes the new concept of 'power domains' as a way to capture how inter-elite bargaining, coalitional politics, and social movement activism combine to shape policies that promote gender equity. In particular, the book investigates the conditions under which countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have adopted legislation against domestic violence, which remains widespread in many developing countries. The book demonstrates that women's presence in formal politics and policy spaces does not fully explain the pace in adopting and implementing domestic violence law. Underlying drivers of change within broader domains of power also include the role of clientelistic politics and informal processes of bargaining, coalition-building, and persuasion; the discursive framing of gender-equitable ideas; and how transnational norms influence women's political inclusion and gender-inclusive policy outcomes. The comparative approach across Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana, India, and Bangladesh demonstrates how advancing gender equality varies by political context and according to the interests surrounding a particular issue. Negotiating Gender Equity in the Global South will be of interest to students and scholars of gender and development, as well as to activists within governments, political parties, nongovernmental organizations, women's movements, and donor agencies, at national and international levels, who are looking to develop effective strategies for advancing gender equality.