This book is a theory-building and comparative exercise in concepts commonly used to analyze the broad impacts of gender quotas. The book begins with the argument that the means by which women enter politics may influence how their presence affects political representation. Following a preface by Drude Dahlerup, the editors introduce the book with a framework for analyzing the impact of quotas, based upon descriptive, substantive and symbolic dimensions of representation. The book is organized into three sections, each devoted to analyzing one of the dimensions of representation, and each of these sections contains a chapter case study from one of four regions of the world (Western Europe, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia).