Silvia Erzeel
Biographic Data
| ID | 4378372 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Silvia Erzeel |
| GIVEN NAMES | Silvia |
| FAMILY NAME | Erzeel |
| SIGNATURE | ERZEEL S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Vrije Universiteit Brussel |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3931-6953 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 31 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 488 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 31 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 12 |
De-democratising political representation: The impact of violence against politicians
Violence against politicians (VAP) is on the rise. Complementing extant scholarship on the impact of violence on politicians, this article shifts focus to its effects on the democratic quality of political representation. Based on interview data ( N = 24) with politicians in Belgium, we identify three mechanisms – silencing, invisibilising and exiting – that are triggered by VAP and that reduce the democratic quality of representation by making i…
Gender differences in politicians’ exposure to threats, intimidation and harassment: Evidence from Belgium
Putting the European Parliament's gender exceptionalism to the test: MEPs’ specialisation in masculine and feminine policy domains in parliamentary questions
The European Parliament is often presented as a success story regarding women's representation. Yet, recent studies observe gendered patterns in parliamentary behaviour. This article contributes to this scholarship by studying gender differences in MEPs’ parliamentary behaviour on ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ policy domains. Analysing 136,787 parliamentary questions over 25 years (1994–2019), the study reveals moderate gender differences in MEPs’ b…
Why Do Voters Vote for ‘the Other Side’? Instrumental and Expressive Motives for Cross‐Ethnolinguistic Voting in Brussels
While electoral support in deeply divided societies is expected to follow segmental lines, parties often attract substantial backing from outside their core constituencies. This article examines why voters in Belgium's Brussels‐Capital Region—a consociational system designed to enable the peaceful cohabitation of the French and Dutch language communities within its territory—support parties across ethnolinguistic lines. Based on a thematic analys…
Angry men and angry women: Gender, system-directed anger and populist radical right voting in Belgium
Why do men and women vote for the populist radical right? This question, which speaks to the phenomenon of the “radical right gender gap”, has been the topic of much scholarly interest. While previous studies refer to the role played by differences in political resources, attitudes, and socialization, this paper examines whether negative emotions towards the political system, and system-directed anger in particular, drive support for populist rad…
Methodological Reflections on Studying Gender‐Sensitive Parliaments Cross‐Nationally: A “Most Significant Change” Approach
Whilst cross-national comparative analyses provide distinct opportunities for the study of gender-sensitive parliaments, the inherent challenge in conducting comparisons necessitates a continued search for innovative methods. This article responds to this need by proposing the “most significant change” (MSC) approach (Davies & Dart, 2005), which centres on collecting and analysing “stories of significant change.” Drawing on our own application of…
Intensifying Gender Inequality: Why Belgian Female Students (Sometimes) Gain Less Internal Political Efficacy from Citizenship Education Than Male Students
Persistent gender inequalities in internal political efficacy have traditionally been attributed to gender differences in resources. This article complements the resource model by focusing on how gendered political socialization occurs during citizenship education and how citizenship education might mitigate, reproduce, or intensify inequalities. Based on multilevel models on a 2016 survey dataset (3898 students across 150 schools) of Belgian sen…
United by history, divided by God? Religion among Dutch and Belgian members of the European Parliament
Even though the European project has often been claimed to be a secular one, studies point out that the European Parliament is an arena in which a more Christian-inspired version of Europe is sometimes advocated. The question we therefore address in this contribution is what role does religion play in the parliamentary work of Dutch and Belgian MEPs? Within the larger RelEP2 project, this contribution specifically focuses on MEPs from Belgium and…
The field of gender and substantive representation: Re-conceptualising, measurement and implications
Today, equality, diversity and inclusion are commonly encountered themes linked to multiple social protests on women's rights and racial justice.One of the main questions for political science scholars of representation is: how and by whom are disadvantaged and marginalised groups who are at a higher risk of social exclusion and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, race, nationality, age and disability represented in public debates and poli…
Introduction to Symposium: The Substantive Representation of Disadvantaged Groups – Taking Stock and Moving Forward
This symposium takes stock of current developments in the field of substantive representation of disadvantaged social groups. It revisits traditional presence-based approaches to substantive representation and suggests new and innovative avenues for the study of substantive representation across groups, venues and contexts. Together, the five contributions discuss new conceptualizations and measurements of substantive representation, as well as t…
Hacking the representative system through deliberation? The organization of the Agora party in Brussels
Measuring the Substantive Representation of Women Cross-Nationally: Towards a Composite Index
Recent scholarship on women’s substantive representation has expanded from its initial focus on gender inequalities in parliaments and now studies (1) various group interests, (2) in different venues, (3) across different contexts and (4) using different methods and approaches. Building on these advances, we present a new comparative measure of women’s substantive representation. This ‘Substantive Representation Index’ combines eight indicators, …
Speaking for the Voiceless? Representative Claims-Making on Behalf of Future Generations in Belgium
Given that modern democracies face generation-transcending policy challenges, this study asks whether the interests of future generations are sufficiently taken into account in present-day parliamentary politics. Through analysis of parliamentary documents in Belgium (2010–2019), we examine whether present-day MPs make representative claims on behalf of future generations, how such claims are made and by whom. We find that MPs do formulate claims…
The substantive representation of social groups: Towards a new comparative research agenda
This article maps the field of substantive representation of social groups and carves out a new research agenda. Examining a database of 313 publications, we identify patterns in what is studied in the field and how it is studied. Our findings suggest that while scholarship on the substantive representation of social groups has expanded over the years, many studies still predominantly (1) analyse the representation of women in (2) the governmenta…
Gender and politics research in Europe: Towards a consolidation of a flourishing political science subfield
Over the past twenty years, the field of “gender and politics” has flourished in European political science. An example of this is the growing number of “gender and politics” scholars and the increased attention paid to gender perspectives in the study of the political. Against this backdrop, we take stock of how the “gender and politics” field has developed over the years. We argue that the field has now entered a stage of “consolidation”, which…
Intersectional candidate nomination: How district and party factors shape the inclusion of ethnic minority men and women in Brussels
Is It Interests, Ideas or Institutions? Explaining Elected Representatives' Positions Toward Democratic Innovations in 15 European Countries
In response to the alleged legitimacy crisis, representative democracies have in recent years witnessed increased demands for democratic innovations aimed at giving citizens a more direct say in decision-making. Such initiatives, however, often rock the foundations of the model of representative democracy which assumes a more indirect link between citizens and political decisions, and which puts political power more firmly in the hands of elected…
The democratic credentials of youth parliaments. The case of the Belgian Jeugd Parlement Jeunesse
Youth parliaments have been conceived as means to reconnect young people with politics, give them a voice in public debates, and ultimately boost the legitimacy of parliaments as democratic institutions. However, to contribute to the overall quality of democracy, youth parliaments must also reflect certain democratic principles in their own organisation. This paper identifies five principles to assess the democratic credentials of youth parliamen…
Exploring Gender Differences in Support for Rightist Parties: The Role of Party and Gender Ideology
This contribution to the Special Issue on Gender and Conservatism uses expert and election surveys to explore the extent to which the feminist or traditional gender ideology of parties of the right relates to their economic and liberal/authoritarian ideology. We show that although parties of the left generally espouse more feminist ideologies than parties of the right, there are a significant number of rightist parties in Western Europe that comb…
Still men’s parties? Gender and the radical right in comparative perspective
This framing paper introduces the symposium on gender and the radical right. With the exception of a few recent studies, gender issues have received little attention in research on the European radical right. The purpose of this symposium is to address that and examine (1) whether radical right parties are still ‘men’s parties’–parties led and supported primarily by men and (2) to what extent and how women and women’s concerns have been included …
The Complementarity Advantage: Parties, Representativeness and Newcomers’ Access to Power
Why have ethnic minority women—a group experiencing ‘double barriers’ in society and politics—gained inroads into formal politics in Belgium more quickly than ethnic minority men? Our qualitative analysis of candidate selection shows that political parties prefer ethnic minority women candidates because their ‘intersectional identity mix’ is maximally complementary to groups embodied by the incumbents. It enables party selectors to maximise the r…
Introduction: Intersectionality in European political science research
Power, privilege and disadvantage: Intersectionality theory and political representation
This article critically reviews the extant literature on social group representation and clarifies the advantages of intersectionality theory for studying political representation. It argues that the merit of intersectionality theory can be found in its ontology of power. Intersectionality theory is founded on a relational conception of political power that locates the constitution of power relations within social interactions, such as political …
Political parties, ideology and the substantive representation of women
The recent finding that right-wing parties increasingly make efforts to integrate women’s concerns raises questions as to whether ideology still counts as a reliable indicator for women’s substantive representation and how different party contexts shape opportunities for the articulation of women’s interests. This article therefore critically reassesses how ideology defines the opportunities for women’s substantive representation, based on a comp…
Double Jeopardy or Multiple Advantage? Intersectionality and Political Representation
This special issue revisits traditional group-based approaches to political representation by examining how multiple advantages and disadvantages interact and multiply in specific settings. The contributions examine how intersections of age, religion, gender, sexuality, ability, nationality, generation and ethnicity influence entrance to elected office and the power elected officials eventually wield. We propose a new intersectional framework for…
Quotas and intersectionality: Ethnicity and gender in candidate selection
Gender equality is not fully realised when it is restricted to ethnic majority men and women. This article examines how gender quotas as a form of equality policy affect ethnic minority groups, in particular, the gender balance among ethnic minority candidates for political office. Our analysis focuses on the selection of ethnic minority candidates in Belgium, where legally binding quotas exist, and in the Netherlands, where they do not. Drawing …
Political parties, ideology and the substantive representation of women
The recent finding that right-wing parties increasingly make efforts to integrate women’s concerns raises questions as to whether ideology still counts as a reliable indicator for women’s substantive representation and how different party contexts shape opportunities for the articulation of women’s interests. This article therefore critically reassesses how ideology defines the opportunities for women’s substantive representation, based on a comp…
The Complementarity Advantage: Parties, Representativeness and Newcomers’ Access to Power
Why have ethnic minority women—a group experiencing ‘double barriers’ in society and politics—gained inroads into formal politics in Belgium more quickly than ethnic minority men? Our qualitative analysis of candidate selection shows that political parties prefer ethnic minority women candidates because their ‘intersectional identity mix’ is maximally complementary to groups embodied by the incumbents. It enables party selectors to maximise the r…
Beyond the Usual Suspects: Non-Left, Male and Non-Feminist MPs and the Substantive Representation of Women
The focus on female MPs and leftist and feminist issues in traditional studies of women's substantive representation has supported the overall conclusion that women, feminists and left-wing parties promote women's interests in parliament. But our analysis of the ‘critical actors’ in women's substantive representation in 10 European countries confirms this finding only to a certain extent. Our inductive research design reveals an important group o…
Double Jeopardy or Multiple Advantage? Intersectionality and Political Representation
This special issue revisits traditional group-based approaches to political representation by examining how multiple advantages and disadvantages interact and multiply in specific settings. The contributions examine how intersections of age, religion, gender, sexuality, ability, nationality, generation and ethnicity influence entrance to elected office and the power elected officials eventually wield. We propose a new intersectional framework for…
Exploring Gender Differences in Support for Rightist Parties: The Role of Party and Gender Ideology
This contribution to the Special Issue on Gender and Conservatism uses expert and election surveys to explore the extent to which the feminist or traditional gender ideology of parties of the right relates to their economic and liberal/authoritarian ideology. We show that although parties of the left generally espouse more feminist ideologies than parties of the right, there are a significant number of rightist parties in Western Europe that comb…
Power, privilege and disadvantage: Intersectionality theory and political representation
This article critically reviews the extant literature on social group representation and clarifies the advantages of intersectionality theory for studying political representation. It argues that the merit of intersectionality theory can be found in its ontology of power. Intersectionality theory is founded on a relational conception of political power that locates the constitution of power relations within social interactions, such as political …
Still men’s parties? Gender and the radical right in comparative perspective
This framing paper introduces the symposium on gender and the radical right. With the exception of a few recent studies, gender issues have received little attention in research on the European radical right. The purpose of this symposium is to address that and examine (1) whether radical right parties are still ‘men’s parties’–parties led and supported primarily by men and (2) to what extent and how women and women’s concerns have been included …
Is It Interests, Ideas or Institutions? Explaining Elected Representatives' Positions Toward Democratic Innovations in 15 European Countries
In response to the alleged legitimacy crisis, representative democracies have in recent years witnessed increased demands for democratic innovations aimed at giving citizens a more direct say in decision-making. Such initiatives, however, often rock the foundations of the model of representative democracy which assumes a more indirect link between citizens and political decisions, and which puts political power more firmly in the hands of elected…
Intersectional Puzzles: Understanding Inclusion and Equality in Political Recruitment
Feminist scholars have developed a solid research agenda on gender equality in politics. This scholarship is built on the conviction that equitable representation of men and women is fundamental to the functioning of representative democracies (Mansbridge 1999; Norris and Lovenduski 1995). In order to comply with the intersectional research paradigm, gender and politics scholars have increasingly focused on other discriminatory mechanisms and how…
Gender and Ethnicity: Intersectionality and the Politics of Group Representation in the Low Countries
This article studies how Belgian and Dutch parties regulate demands for representation by women and ethnic minorities, and how this influences the representation of intersectional groups. We argue that demands for representation by multiple groups bring competition into play. Ethnic minorities have found it particularly difficult to integrate into electoral politics in Belgium where parties maintain a stricter hierarchy of gender over ethnicity. …
Hacking the representative system through deliberation? The organization of the Agora party in Brussels
Intersectional candidate nomination: How district and party factors shape the inclusion of ethnic minority men and women in Brussels
Introduction: Intersectionality in European political science research
Explaining Legislators’ Actions on Behalf of Women in the Parliamentary Party Group: The Role of Attitudes, Resources, and Opportunities
Scholars of womenâ s substantive representation have often looked for an empirical link between legislatorsâ sex and their actions on behalf of women. However, to understand â how womenâ s substantive representation occursâ (Celis et al. 2008), studies also need to consider differences that exist among women and include menâ s activities in the analyses. This contribution presents several sources that explain womenâ s as well as menâ s agenda-set…
The substantive representation of social groups: Towards a new comparative research agenda
This article maps the field of substantive representation of social groups and carves out a new research agenda. Examining a database of 313 publications, we identify patterns in what is studied in the field and how it is studied. Our findings suggest that while scholarship on the substantive representation of social groups has expanded over the years, many studies still predominantly (1) analyse the representation of women in (2) the governmenta…
Gender and politics research in Europe: Towards a consolidation of a flourishing political science subfield
Over the past twenty years, the field of “gender and politics” has flourished in European political science. An example of this is the growing number of “gender and politics” scholars and the increased attention paid to gender perspectives in the study of the political. Against this backdrop, we take stock of how the “gender and politics” field has developed over the years. We argue that the field has now entered a stage of “consolidation”, which…
Putting the European Parliament's gender exceptionalism to the test: MEPs’ specialisation in masculine and feminine policy domains in parliamentary questions
The European Parliament is often presented as a success story regarding women's representation. Yet, recent studies observe gendered patterns in parliamentary behaviour. This article contributes to this scholarship by studying gender differences in MEPs’ parliamentary behaviour on ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ policy domains. Analysing 136,787 parliamentary questions over 25 years (1994–2019), the study reveals moderate gender differences in MEPs’ b…
Speaking for the Voiceless? Representative Claims-Making on Behalf of Future Generations in Belgium
Given that modern democracies face generation-transcending policy challenges, this study asks whether the interests of future generations are sufficiently taken into account in present-day parliamentary politics. Through analysis of parliamentary documents in Belgium (2010–2019), we examine whether present-day MPs make representative claims on behalf of future generations, how such claims are made and by whom. We find that MPs do formulate claims…
The field of gender and substantive representation: Re-conceptualising, measurement and implications
Today, equality, diversity and inclusion are commonly encountered themes linked to multiple social protests on women's rights and racial justice.One of the main questions for political science scholars of representation is: how and by whom are disadvantaged and marginalised groups who are at a higher risk of social exclusion and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, race, nationality, age and disability represented in public debates and poli…
The democratic credentials of youth parliaments. The case of the Belgian Jeugd Parlement Jeunesse
Youth parliaments have been conceived as means to reconnect young people with politics, give them a voice in public debates, and ultimately boost the legitimacy of parliaments as democratic institutions. However, to contribute to the overall quality of democracy, youth parliaments must also reflect certain democratic principles in their own organisation. This paper identifies five principles to assess the democratic credentials of youth parliamen…
Methodological Reflections on Studying Gender‐Sensitive Parliaments Cross‐Nationally: A “Most Significant Change” Approach
Whilst cross-national comparative analyses provide distinct opportunities for the study of gender-sensitive parliaments, the inherent challenge in conducting comparisons necessitates a continued search for innovative methods. This article responds to this need by proposing the “most significant change” (MSC) approach (Davies & Dart, 2005), which centres on collecting and analysing “stories of significant change.” Drawing on our own application of…
Measuring the Substantive Representation of Women Cross-Nationally: Towards a Composite Index
Recent scholarship on women’s substantive representation has expanded from its initial focus on gender inequalities in parliaments and now studies (1) various group interests, (2) in different venues, (3) across different contexts and (4) using different methods and approaches. Building on these advances, we present a new comparative measure of women’s substantive representation. This ‘Substantive Representation Index’ combines eight indicators, …
A nation of vicars and merchants’: Religiosity and Dutch MEPs
Religion is a major driving force in the Dutch political system and as European integration has progressed, it is often argued that these national practices affect how national representatives act in the European Parliament (EP). Our aim in this study is to determine to what extent the religious divide impacts upon the work of Dutch MEPs in the European political arena. On the basis of the RelEP survey and interviews, we argue that religious or s…
Gender and Ethnicity: Intersectionality and the Politics of Group Representation in the Low Countries
This article studies how Belgian and Dutch parties regulate demands for representation by women and ethnic minorities, and how this influences the representation of intersectional groups. We argue that demands for representation by multiple groups bring competition into play. Ethnic minorities have found it particularly difficult to integrate into electoral politics in Belgium where parties maintain a stricter hierarchy of gender over ethnicity. …
A nation of vicars and merchants’: Religiosity and Dutch MEPs
Religion is a major driving force in the Dutch political system and as European integration has progressed, it is often argued that these national practices affect how national representatives act in the European Parliament (EP). Our aim in this study is to determine to what extent the religious divide impacts upon the work of Dutch MEPs in the European political arena. On the basis of the RelEP survey and interviews, we argue that religious or s…
Quotas and intersectionality: Ethnicity and gender in candidate selection
Gender equality is not fully realised when it is restricted to ethnic majority men and women. This article examines how gender quotas as a form of equality policy affect ethnic minority groups, in particular, the gender balance among ethnic minority candidates for political office. Our analysis focuses on the selection of ethnic minority candidates in Belgium, where legally binding quotas exist, and in the Netherlands, where they do not. Drawing …
Explaining Legislators’ Actions on Behalf of Women in the Parliamentary Party Group: The Role of Attitudes, Resources, and Opportunities
Scholars of womenâ s substantive representation have often looked for an empirical link between legislatorsâ sex and their actions on behalf of women. However, to understand â how womenâ s substantive representation occursâ (Celis et al. 2008), studies also need to consider differences that exist among women and include menâ s activities in the analyses. This contribution presents several sources that explain womenâ s as well as menâ s agenda-set…
Intersectional Puzzles: Understanding Inclusion and Equality in Political Recruitment
Feminist scholars have developed a solid research agenda on gender equality in politics. This scholarship is built on the conviction that equitable representation of men and women is fundamental to the functioning of representative democracies (Mansbridge 1999; Norris and Lovenduski 1995). In order to comply with the intersectional research paradigm, gender and politics scholars have increasingly focused on other discriminatory mechanisms and how…
Beyond the Usual Suspects: Non-Left, Male and Non-Feminist MPs and the Substantive Representation of Women
The focus on female MPs and leftist and feminist issues in traditional studies of women's substantive representation has supported the overall conclusion that women, feminists and left-wing parties promote women's interests in parliament. But our analysis of the ‘critical actors’ in women's substantive representation in 10 European countries confirms this finding only to a certain extent. Our inductive research design reveals an important group o…
Introduction: Intersectionality in European political science research
Power, privilege and disadvantage: Intersectionality theory and political representation
This article critically reviews the extant literature on social group representation and clarifies the advantages of intersectionality theory for studying political representation. It argues that the merit of intersectionality theory can be found in its ontology of power. Intersectionality theory is founded on a relational conception of political power that locates the constitution of power relations within social interactions, such as political …
Political parties, ideology and the substantive representation of women
The recent finding that right-wing parties increasingly make efforts to integrate women’s concerns raises questions as to whether ideology still counts as a reliable indicator for women’s substantive representation and how different party contexts shape opportunities for the articulation of women’s interests. This article therefore critically reassesses how ideology defines the opportunities for women’s substantive representation, based on a comp…
Double Jeopardy or Multiple Advantage? Intersectionality and Political Representation
This special issue revisits traditional group-based approaches to political representation by examining how multiple advantages and disadvantages interact and multiply in specific settings. The contributions examine how intersections of age, religion, gender, sexuality, ability, nationality, generation and ethnicity influence entrance to elected office and the power elected officials eventually wield. We propose a new intersectional framework for…
Still men’s parties? Gender and the radical right in comparative perspective
This framing paper introduces the symposium on gender and the radical right. With the exception of a few recent studies, gender issues have received little attention in research on the European radical right. The purpose of this symposium is to address that and examine (1) whether radical right parties are still ‘men’s parties’–parties led and supported primarily by men and (2) to what extent and how women and women’s concerns have been included …
The Complementarity Advantage: Parties, Representativeness and Newcomers’ Access to Power
Why have ethnic minority women—a group experiencing ‘double barriers’ in society and politics—gained inroads into formal politics in Belgium more quickly than ethnic minority men? Our qualitative analysis of candidate selection shows that political parties prefer ethnic minority women candidates because their ‘intersectional identity mix’ is maximally complementary to groups embodied by the incumbents. It enables party selectors to maximise the r…
Exploring Gender Differences in Support for Rightist Parties: The Role of Party and Gender Ideology
This contribution to the Special Issue on Gender and Conservatism uses expert and election surveys to explore the extent to which the feminist or traditional gender ideology of parties of the right relates to their economic and liberal/authoritarian ideology. We show that although parties of the left generally espouse more feminist ideologies than parties of the right, there are a significant number of rightist parties in Western Europe that comb…
Is It Interests, Ideas or Institutions? Explaining Elected Representatives' Positions Toward Democratic Innovations in 15 European Countries
In response to the alleged legitimacy crisis, representative democracies have in recent years witnessed increased demands for democratic innovations aimed at giving citizens a more direct say in decision-making. Such initiatives, however, often rock the foundations of the model of representative democracy which assumes a more indirect link between citizens and political decisions, and which puts political power more firmly in the hands of elected…
The democratic credentials of youth parliaments. The case of the Belgian Jeugd Parlement Jeunesse
Youth parliaments have been conceived as means to reconnect young people with politics, give them a voice in public debates, and ultimately boost the legitimacy of parliaments as democratic institutions. However, to contribute to the overall quality of democracy, youth parliaments must also reflect certain democratic principles in their own organisation. This paper identifies five principles to assess the democratic credentials of youth parliamen…
Gender and politics research in Europe: Towards a consolidation of a flourishing political science subfield
Over the past twenty years, the field of “gender and politics” has flourished in European political science. An example of this is the growing number of “gender and politics” scholars and the increased attention paid to gender perspectives in the study of the political. Against this backdrop, we take stock of how the “gender and politics” field has developed over the years. We argue that the field has now entered a stage of “consolidation”, which…
Intersectional candidate nomination: How district and party factors shape the inclusion of ethnic minority men and women in Brussels
The substantive representation of social groups: Towards a new comparative research agenda
This article maps the field of substantive representation of social groups and carves out a new research agenda. Examining a database of 313 publications, we identify patterns in what is studied in the field and how it is studied. Our findings suggest that while scholarship on the substantive representation of social groups has expanded over the years, many studies still predominantly (1) analyse the representation of women in (2) the governmenta…
United by history, divided by God? Religion among Dutch and Belgian members of the European Parliament
Even though the European project has often been claimed to be a secular one, studies point out that the European Parliament is an arena in which a more Christian-inspired version of Europe is sometimes advocated. The question we therefore address in this contribution is what role does religion play in the parliamentary work of Dutch and Belgian MEPs? Within the larger RelEP2 project, this contribution specifically focuses on MEPs from Belgium and…
The field of gender and substantive representation: Re-conceptualising, measurement and implications
Today, equality, diversity and inclusion are commonly encountered themes linked to multiple social protests on women's rights and racial justice.One of the main questions for political science scholars of representation is: how and by whom are disadvantaged and marginalised groups who are at a higher risk of social exclusion and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, race, nationality, age and disability represented in public debates and poli…
Introduction to Symposium: The Substantive Representation of Disadvantaged Groups – Taking Stock and Moving Forward
This symposium takes stock of current developments in the field of substantive representation of disadvantaged social groups. It revisits traditional presence-based approaches to substantive representation and suggests new and innovative avenues for the study of substantive representation across groups, venues and contexts. Together, the five contributions discuss new conceptualizations and measurements of substantive representation, as well as t…
Hacking the representative system through deliberation? The organization of the Agora party in Brussels
Measuring the Substantive Representation of Women Cross-Nationally: Towards a Composite Index
Recent scholarship on women’s substantive representation has expanded from its initial focus on gender inequalities in parliaments and now studies (1) various group interests, (2) in different venues, (3) across different contexts and (4) using different methods and approaches. Building on these advances, we present a new comparative measure of women’s substantive representation. This ‘Substantive Representation Index’ combines eight indicators, …
Speaking for the Voiceless? Representative Claims-Making on Behalf of Future Generations in Belgium
Given that modern democracies face generation-transcending policy challenges, this study asks whether the interests of future generations are sufficiently taken into account in present-day parliamentary politics. Through analysis of parliamentary documents in Belgium (2010–2019), we examine whether present-day MPs make representative claims on behalf of future generations, how such claims are made and by whom. We find that MPs do formulate claims…
Angry men and angry women: Gender, system-directed anger and populist radical right voting in Belgium
Why do men and women vote for the populist radical right? This question, which speaks to the phenomenon of the “radical right gender gap”, has been the topic of much scholarly interest. While previous studies refer to the role played by differences in political resources, attitudes, and socialization, this paper examines whether negative emotions towards the political system, and system-directed anger in particular, drive support for populist rad…
Politics (29 works) · Law (28 works) · Political science (28 works) · Law (27 works) · Gender Politics and Representation (25 works) · Sociology (25 works) · Electoral Systems and Political Participation (19 works) · Gender Studies (15 works) · Gender Studies (15 works) · Representation (politics (14 works)