One of Us: Multilevel Models Examining the Impact of Descriptive Representation on Civic Engagement

This paper examines the impact of descriptive representation in comparative perspective. The goals are to establish (1) whether descriptive representation mobilizes attitudinal and behavioral indicators of civic engagement; (2) whether the strength of any such relationship differs for women and young people; and (3) whether this relationship is evident cross?nationally. The first section provides an overview of existing research on descriptive representation and the civic engagement of women and young people. The second section presents the research design. The third reports and discusses the findings of the multilevel models and what these suggest about relationships between descriptive representation in national parliaments and patterns in civic engagement among citizens. The paper concludes with a summary of the major findings and reflects upon their implications for understanding and altering long?standing inequalities in civic engagement.

One of Us: Multilevel Models Examining the Impact of Descriptive Representation on Civic Engagement

This paper examines the impact of descriptive representation in comparative perspective. The goals are to establish (1) whether descriptive representation mobilizes attitudinal and behavioral indicators of civic engagement; (2) whether the strength of any such relationship differs for women and young people; and (3) whether this relationship is evident cross-nationally. The first section provides an overview of existing research on descriptive representation and the civic engagement of women and young people. The second section presents the research design. The third reports and discusses the findings of the multilevel models and what these suggest about relationships between descriptive representation in national parliaments and patterns in civic engagement among citizens. The paper concludes with a summary of the major findings and reflects upon their implications for understanding and altering long-standing inequalities in civic engagement

Gender quotas do not pose a threat to “merit” at any stage of the political process

The UK Labour Party has long utilised All-Women candidate shortlists in an aim to ensure that female representation in the House of Commons increases. This has always been controversial, however it has been responsible for a noted increase in the number of female MPs in general and female Labour MPs in particular. Here, Mary Nugent and Mona Lena Krook dispel some of the myths around All-Women Shortlists, and show that gender quotas do not pose a threat to ‘merit’, and that the diversity they have fostered has brought about a number of important democratic outcomes

Not Too Young to Run? Age requirements and young people in elected office

Promoting youth representation in parliaments is a growing global priority. To promote youth leadership and more inclusive politics, youth organizations in Nigeria mobilized successfully for a constitutional reform to lower the eligibility age to run for political office. In this paper, we draw on global data to assess whether lower eligibility ages will in fact lead to higher levels of youth participation. We find that lower age requirements positively affect the representation of the youngest and next youngest cohorts in parliament. We draw on qualitative interviews and gender literature to theorize that lower age limits have immediate and longer-term "mobilizing effects", shifting the calculations of potential candidates in terms of the age at which they first decide to run for office

Not Too Young to Run? Age requirements and young people in elected office

Promoting youth representation in parliaments is a growing global priority. To promote youth leadership and more inclusive politics, youth organizations in Nigeria mobilized successfully for a constitutional reform to lower the eligibility age to run for political office. In this paper, we draw on global data to assess whether lower eligibility ages will in fact lead to higher levels of youth participation. We find that lower age requirements positively affect the representation of the youngest and next youngest cohorts in parliament. We draw on qualitative interviews and gender literature to theorize that lower age limits have immediate and longer-term “mobilizing effects”, shifting the calculations of potential candidates in terms of the age at which they first decide to run for office

International Political Science Review Electoral quotas and political representation: Comparative perspectives Electoral quotas and political representation: Comparative perspectives

Abstract Electoral quotas have emerged as one of the critical political reforms of the last two decades, affecting a wide range of representative processes. However, the evidence is not yet conclusive with regard to what quotas 'mean' more broadly, either for politics at large or for the empowerment of group members. Taking up this challenge, this special issue brings together articles that collectively expand the current research agenda to theorise and assess the wider impact of electoral quotas. A unifying theme is the use of comparative research strategies to illuminate dynamics indicating the possibilities and limits of what quotas can achieve. This introductory article reviews the existing literature and then details the research strategies and theoretical and empirical findings of the articles that follow, concluding with directions for future research and implications of this work for connecting central debates within political science

"Promoting gender balanced decision-making in the European Union: International and transnational strategies for parity democracy"

In this paper I aim to address a number of gaps in the current literature on women's political representation. First, I present a genealogy of international efforts to target "decision-making" as a policy area crucial to promoting substantive equality between women and men. While I signal the vital role of two UN documents-the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women from 1979 and the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing from 1995-in placing "women in decision-making" on the international political agenda, I stress how actions in Western Europe have further developed the normative principles and the practical strategies necessary for effecting changes in patterns of representation ... I next discuss the shift in feminist strategy that I argue lies behind the sudden international concern with gender balanced decision-making. I trace the evolution of feminist attitudes towards politics, which I link to changing interpretations about the source of inequalities based on gender, and I note how women's activists have developed a new normative argument calling for "parity democracy" which has proven to be quite effective in bridging differences among women across the political spectrum. In the final section, I then catalogue the various practical strategies employed by the European Union to increase women's representation in the European Parliament and, by extension, in national and local assemblies