Michelle Fernandez, Universidade de Brasília

Fernando Nieto-Morales, El Colegio de México

This special issue examines female leadership in public bureaucracies, addressing persistent structural barriers limiting women's access to senior positions and the transformative potential of gender-diverse leadership. It seeks to understand how gender shapes governance and policy outcomes across diverse national contexts, particularly in Global South settings where gender inequalities intersect with institutional fragility.

While formal mechanisms like gender quotas and merit-based recruitment have expanded pathways for women, informal norms and implicit biases continue to perpetuate gendered hierarchies. The issue explores how institutional arrangements and organizational cultures shape women's trajectories and how female leadership influences accountability and sector performance.

The collection welcomes empirical contributions examining drivers and obstacles to women's leadership, factors shaping their careers, and policy impacts. Comparative perspectives, intersectional approaches, and research on Global South experiences are particularly encouraged.

Appel publié par Public Administration and Development. Voir l'appel sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• Gendered patterns of promotion in the public sector
• Institutional reforms aimed at fostering gender parity in public leadership
• Informal networks, mentorship, and the role of social capital in career advancement
• Intersectional inequalities shaping women's leadership in government
• The impact of female leadership on public service delivery and public policy
• The effects of female leadership on public sector organizational culture and accountability

Timeline

• October 1, 2026: Deadline for proposal submissions
• July 1, 2027: Deadline for full manuscript submissions