Do open-list systems support the representation of ethnic minority women?
Research has shown that ethnic minority women, by being members of two marginalized groups, might either face double barriers or experience a complementarity advantage in the representational process. Studies so far tend to focus on the role of parties in hindering or fostering the representation of minority groups through their selection process. Hence, research tends to overlook the role of voters in the election process. In this paper, we investigate how candidates’ ethnicity and gender interact to shape parties and voters’ behaviour in open-list systems, where both list composition and voters’ choice are crucial for candidates’ election. Our objective is double. First, we aim to investigate the existence and extent of a party vs. voters’ bias in the representation of ethnic minority women. Then, we want to understand how context factors, such as the geographical concentration of ethnic groups and partisanship, play a role in influencing these actors’ strategies.
- Presenter: Chloé Janssen
- Discussant: Louise Hoon
Participation is free of charge, but due to room limitations, please register here. A light lunch will be provided.