Diversity In/And Parties

Abstract

Parliamentary institutions are often not sufficiently representative for the population as a whole: women, ethnic minorities, workers, etc. tend to be underrepresented. Political parties are crucial actors here as they play a crucial role in the recruitment and selection process leading to a political mandate (e.g. Caul, 2001 ; Murray, 2010). On top of that, parties also play a crucial role in processes of interest articulation: they (don’t) further the interests of particular groups of people in the public sphere. Whether people from subordinated groups are member of political parties and how active they are in these parties could be important in this perspective. Their inclusion in parties is first of all an indicator of the real commitment of parties to the full inclusion of these groups (on candidate lists, in policy discussions, etc.). Their presence can, secondly, also be a support for people form these social groups in discussions about candidate list composition or on policy decisions with their group’s interests at stake. The degree to which members of social groups are incorporated in party structures remains a blind spot in research however. Therefore, this panel welcomes papers that focus on the inclusion of women, ethnic minorities, young people, working class people, and other social groups in party structures: their presence on different levels in the party organisation (either among party members, party activists or party elites, or as organized groups within a party) is our focus. Papers can describe the current situation in one or more parties (possibly also with an over-time comparison), but also the impact of mechanisms and procedures for the composition of these party institutions as well as the type of activities ‘diverse’ party members undertake can be scrutinised.

Title	Details
Hindrance or Mainstay? Participation of the Elderly in Political Parties	View Paper Details
Ethnic Minority Candidates in Germany: Political Parties as Main Gatekeepers to Elected Office?	View Paper Details
Intersectionality and Electoral Quotas: Ethnicity and Gender in Candidate Selection in Belgian and Dutch Parties	View Paper Details
After the Mass Party: A Longitudinal Study of Social Congruence Among Party Voters, Members, Delegates and MP's in Norway 1985-2009	View Paper Details
Political Parties, Informality and Women’s Political Representation	View Paper Details