This talk presents the findings of a study that seeks to understand descriptive representation of migrant-origin and ethnic minority populations through examination of political parties’ candidate selection strategies. Drawing on a new dataset of New Zealand candidacies from 1996 to 2020, I will map the variation in candidacy patterns across the main centre-left and centre-right parties, ethnic groups, and time, then discuss how, and how successfully, the parties have used the incentives of the mixed electoral system (MMP) to diversify their candidate slates and thus their elected representation in the legislature. I will argue that, while New Zealand shows high diversity in political representation by international comparison, parties' candidate selection strategies create volatility and risks for non-ethnic majority candidates. I conclude by considering implications of the findings for the comparative study of candidate selection and descriptive representation and next steps for the development of the candidate dataset.

Speaker

Fiona Barker, Victoria University of Wellington and Sciences Po, CEE visiting fellow

Fiona Barker is a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Politics. Her research spans the comparative politics of immigration, identity, nationalism, electoral politics, and political representation. Her current projects examine the politics of representation in diverse democracies, the role of 'ethnic' media in electoral and democratic politics, and attitudes toward immigration.

Fiona Barker has been a visiting scholar at institutions including Sciences Po, Paris; the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin; Université du Québec à Montréal; and the University of Edinburgh. She was also a Jean Monnet Post-doctoral Fellow at the European University Institute, Florence, Italy (2007–08).

Currently, she serves as co-editor of the journal Political Science, has been a board member of the NZ European Union Centres Network, and sat on the Executive Committee of the Migration and Citizenship Section of the American Political Science Association from 2018 to 2020.

Chair 

Virginie Guiraudon, Sciences Po, CEE, CNRS

Discussant 

Jan Rovny, Sciences Po, CEE

*Seminar of the key themes "Strains in democratic representation" and "Cities, borders and mobility"