TY - JOUR
T1 - Candidate Supply Is Not a Barrier to Immigrant Representation
T2 - A Case–Control Study
AU - Dancygier, Rafaela
AU - Lindgren, Karl Oskar
AU - Nyman, Pär
AU - Vernby, Kåre
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors. American Journal of Political Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Midwest Political Science Association
PY - 2021/7
Y1 - 2021/7
N2 - Immigrants are underrepresented in most democratic parliaments. To explain the immigrant–native representation gap, existing research emphasizes party gatekeepers and structural conditions. But a more complete account must consider the possibility that the representation gap begins at the supply stage. Are immigrants simply less interested in elected office? To test this explanation, we carried out an innovative case–control survey in Sweden. We surveyed elected politicians, candidates for local office, and residents who have not run; stratified these samples by immigrant status; and linked all respondents to local political opportunity structures. We find that differences in political ambition, interest, and efficacy do not help explain immigrants' underrepresentation. Instead, the major hurdles lie in securing a candidate nomination and being placed on an electable list position. We conclude that there is a sufficient supply of potential immigrant candidates, but immigrants' ambition is thwarted by political elites.
AB - Immigrants are underrepresented in most democratic parliaments. To explain the immigrant–native representation gap, existing research emphasizes party gatekeepers and structural conditions. But a more complete account must consider the possibility that the representation gap begins at the supply stage. Are immigrants simply less interested in elected office? To test this explanation, we carried out an innovative case–control survey in Sweden. We surveyed elected politicians, candidates for local office, and residents who have not run; stratified these samples by immigrant status; and linked all respondents to local political opportunity structures. We find that differences in political ambition, interest, and efficacy do not help explain immigrants' underrepresentation. Instead, the major hurdles lie in securing a candidate nomination and being placed on an electable list position. We conclude that there is a sufficient supply of potential immigrant candidates, but immigrants' ambition is thwarted by political elites.
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U2 - 10.1111/ajps.12553
DO - 10.1111/ajps.12553
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85090995352
SN - 0092-5853
VL - 65
SP - 683
EP - 698
JO - American Journal of Political Science
JF - American Journal of Political Science
IS - 3
ER -