Work

Can multi-dimensional descriptive representation increase policy priority alignment? Evidence from South African municipalities

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Does an increase in the number of shared identity traits between citizens and their public representatives increase the likelihood that they will agree on policy priorities? The identities of citizens and politicians are complex and multi-dimensional, but we know little about how the combination of multiple shared identity traits affects the convergence of attitudes on government policy. In this paper, we analyze two waves of original survey data on local government councillors in conjunction with several surveys of citizens in South Africa. We find that both within and across political parties, greater degrees of trait similarity between citizens and politicians – even beyond the one or two traits considered in most studies of descriptive representation – are associated with modest but consistent increases in alignment on policy priorities, especially when citizens and councillors share traits that reinforce a historically marginalized identity. We also show that trait similarity increases policy priority alignment to a greater degree when politicians have roles that require frequent contact with constituents, suggesting that communication channels may strengthen the substantive impact of descriptive representation.

Source: European Political Science Review

DOI: 10.1017/s1755773926100708

Authors: Evan Lieberman, Sarah Lockwood, Philip Martin, Vinothan Naidoo

Institutions: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cape Town, University of Bristol, George Mason University

Language: English

Topic: Electoral Systems and Political Participation

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,550