The Dynamic Relationship between Gender Quotas and Political Institutions

Scholars of gender quotas have paid increasing attention to the ways in which formal and informal institutions shape the outcome of this electoral reform (Hassim 2009; Jones 2009; Zetterberg 2009). Quotas, however, are not only affected by the institutional context in which they are adopted; their t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Politics & gender 2013-09, Vol.9 (3), p.316-321
Main Author: Zetterberg, Pär
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adoption
Comparative Politics
Critical Perspectives on Gender and Politics
Democracy
Electoral College
Electoral systems
Gender
Gender equity
Gender Quotas and Comparative Politics
Opposite Sex Relations
Political Institutions
Political life
Political parties
Political representation
Political science
Political Systems
Politics
Quota systems
Quotas
Recruitment
Reform
Representative Democracy
Sex
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Summary:Scholars of gender quotas have paid increasing attention to the ways in which formal and informal institutions shape the outcome of this electoral reform (Hassim 2009; Jones 2009; Zetterberg 2009). Quotas, however, are not only affected by the institutional context in which they are adopted; their transformative nature also implies that they (should) contribute to changing political institutions. This dynamic relationship has consequences for the analysis of key institutions within representative democracy: Electoral quotas may, in some cases, challenge well-defined analytical frameworks and established ways to study political life. This essay aims to demonstrate theoretically how quota adoption exerts an impact on established political structures and thus challenges existing understandings within subfields of comparative politics. More specifically, I bring up two institutions within representative democracy that are likely to be affected by quotas: the political recruitment process and intraparty politics within legislative institutions.
ISSN:1743-923X
1743-9248
1743-9248
DOI:10.1017/S1743923X13000196