Rethinking the Comparative Perspective on Class and Representation
Evidence from Latin America
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6232471 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nicholas Carnes (0009-0000-3506-8273, Duke University), Noam Lupu (0000-0001-9545-1864, University of Wisconsin–Madison) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2015-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0092-5853 • E-ISSN: 1540-5907 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ajps.12112 |
| OpenAlex | W2113955595 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 162 |
| References cited | 88 |
Does it matter that working‐class citizens are numerically underrepresented in political offices throughout the world? For decades, the conventional wisdom in comparative politics has been that it does not, that lawmakers from different classes think and behave roughly the same in office. In this article, we argue that this conclusion is misguided. Past research relied on inappropriate measures of officeholders’ class backgrounds, attitudes, and choices. Using data on 18 Latin American legislatures, we show that lawmakers from different classes bring different economic attitudes to the legislative process. Using data on one least likely case, we also show that pre‐voting decisions like sponsoring legislation often differ dramatically along social class lines, even when political parties control higher‐visibility decisions like roll‐call votes. The unequal numerical or descriptive representation of social classes in the world's legislatures has important consequences for the substantive representation of different class interests
Class (philosophy) · Epistemology · Latin Americans · Legislation · Legislature · Perspective (graphical) · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Representation (politics) · Social class · Sociology · Voting · Computer Science · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Public Administration · Social Policy and Reform Studies
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| Unique citing works | 162 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 14,73 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2026 (12) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 154 |