American Political Science Review · 2002 · 514 citations · 23 references
Social SciencesSocial PolicySociologyAfrican American PoliticsFeminist TheoryLatino StudiesCommunity RepresentationEthnic GroupsEthnic MinoritiesLatino PoliticsRaceRacismDistricting CriteriaEthnic Representation In CommitteesProportional Representation StrategyRepresentation In Higher EducationRepresentation Of Underrepresented GroupsRepresentativeness Criteria
Theoretical literature holds that historically disadvantaged groups should be represented by members of those groups through descriptive representatives and institutional reforms, yet it does not provide criteria for selecting such representatives, a gap some scholars argue cannot be articulated. I contend that some descriptive representatives are preferable to others and that criteria for selecting preferable ones can and should be articulated. I propose that preferable descriptive representatives are those who maintain strong mutual relationships with dispossessed subgroups of historically disadvantaged groups.
A body of theoretical literature has developed that explains why historically disadvantaged groups should be represented by members of those groups. Such representatives are commonly referred to as descriptive representatives . This literature has also endorsed various institutional reforms aimed at increasing the number of descriptive representatives, e.g., party list quotas, racial districting, and proportional representation. However, this literature does not articulate criteria that should guide the selection of descriptive representatives to serve in these institutional positions. Indeed, some thinkers claim that such criteria cannot, or at least should not, be articulated. I argue that some descriptive representatives are preferable to others and that criteria for selecting preferable descriptive representatives can, and should, be articulated. Moreover, I recommend one such criterion: Preferable descriptive representatives possess strong mutual relationships with dispossessed subgroups of historically disadvantaged groups.
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