Candidate Selection in British Second Order Elections: A Comparison of Electoral Systems and Party Strategy Effects

Elizabeth Evans, Lisa Harrison

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)
41 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Whilst most UK political parties have now accepted the need to increase the number of women representatives, the stark reality is that women remain under-represented. The under-representation of women in UK politics is not just evident in the national legislature but is a pattern repeated, to varying degrees, in second order elections at local, devolved and European levels. Recent developments in political recruitment processes allow us to explore the extent to which political parties take advantage of different electoral systems to promote women candidates in second order elections. Providing analysis of (s)election data from across second order elections, this article explores the interaction between systemic and institutional strategies, questioning which combination of electoral system and party strategy is most beneficial for increasing levels of women's representation.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)242-260
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of Legislative Studies
Volume18
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012

Keywords

  • women's representation
  • electoral systems
  • second order elections

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