2026 Fredric M. Jablin Doctoral Dissertation Award Recipient

Dr. Kamya Yadav will receive the 2026 Fredric M. Jablin Doctoral Dissertation Award in October 2026 in Toronto at the 28th annual International Leadership Association Global Conference for her doctoral dissertation, "From the Wings to the Electoral Stage: Women, Parties, and Political Representation in India."

The dissertation traces women's political exclusion from entry into party organizations to candidate selection using original survey, experimental, administrative, and qualitative evidence. Across three papers on women's wings, voluntary gender quotas, and informal primaries in local elections, the dissertation shows that gender-egalitarian institutions operate within unequal structural conditions that limit their transformative potential.

Yadav is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI). In 2026, she received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research sits at the intersection of gender and political leadership, party politics, and the political economy of development, with a focus on India. She studies the effect of political institutions, such as quotas and organizations, on women’s political participation, representation, and ambition as well as citizen engagement with politics. Her work spans India, Zambia, Malawi, and the United States.

The Jablin Doctoral Dissertation Award is given annually to a scholar whose doctoral dissertation research, while on any topic and from any discipline, demonstrates substantial insights and implications for the study of leadership. The award was established to honor and celebrate the life of Jepson School professor Dr. Fredric M. Jablin (1952-2004). Recipients are honored during the ILA Global Conference and invited to give a talk on their work at the conference.