Does Political Representation Increase Participation? Evidence from Party Candidate Lotteries in Mexico
Zoom: : https://bsg.zoom.us/j/91663686066?pwd=QWNHVEY4YzhWMUtvMHZmN0RKQWsyQT09 Meeting ID: 916 6368 6066 Passcode: 322203
How does representation by politicians from specific communities influence these communities’ political participation? Analyzing a natural experiment from Mexico, in which a party uses lotteries to select candidates for public office, this paper presents new insights into how representation shapes the political participation of underrepresented segments of society. I find that participation in subsequent elections is significantly higher among constituents who have been represented by randomly selected legislators with a similar social background who are part of local organizational networks (embedded representatives). Furthermore, I show that these represented constituents feel more empowered, and that the party that provides this ‘grassroots’ representation is rewarded with more support in the subsequent election. The findings highlight the importance of community embeddedness for political mobilization and have important implications for debates about democratic inclusion and representation
Date: 1 February 2022, 12:30
Venue: Nuffield College, New Road OX1 1NF
Venue Details: Clay Room
Speaker: Mathias Poertner (LSE)
Organising department: Nuffield College
Organisers: Ezequiel González Ocantos (Nuffield College), Pepper Culpepper (Nuffield College), Professor Jane Green (Nuffield College)
Organiser contact email address: maxine.collett@nuffield.ox.ac.uk
Part of: Nuffield College Political Science Seminars
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Maxine Collett