The Politics of Unequal Group Representation

Abstract

Political representation is traditionally studied through two dimensions, namely responsiveness and the so-called “opinion representation”, i.e. the level of ‘congruence’ between representatives and citizens’ opinions on specific issues. Considered a necessary step in the process of responsiveness, ensuring high levels of congruence between elites and voters turns out to be dramatically important for democratic representation. However, governments sometimes fail to achieve this ideal. This Panel invites papers whose aim is to explore the following issues: Why do elected representatives disproportionately more represent the preferences of specific social groups? What are the causes behind unequal representation of citizens based on individual level characteristics (e.g. their gender, income, education or disability)?

Title	Details
The Substantive Representation of Disabled People in Europe: Patterns and Explanations	View Paper Details
Unequal Representation of Economically Defined Groups. Do Citizens Notice It? And if So, Does it Matter?	View Paper Details
Do Right-Wing Populist Parties Reduce Representational Gaps? Issue Congruence Between Voters and Representatives in the 2013 and 2017 German Federal Elections	View Paper Details
How Politicians Discount the Opinions of Lower-Educated Citizens	View Paper Details