Power and Minority Representation

Wright, Kenicia

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2524-1

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Alternatively, those with disabilities might simply feel like government officials do not represent them or their interests. That is to say, elements of both descriptive representation, whereby elected officials possess physical traits similar to their constituency, and substantive representation, whereby elected officials pursue interests pertinent to their constituency, may be perceived as missing among individuals with disabilities (Wright 2016). Consider, for example, recent work by Ojeda and Slaughter (2018) demonstrating that the negative relationship between depression and turnout is attenuated in the presence of a coethnic representative, particularly for black men.…”

Section: Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns and Mechanisms of Political Participation among People with Disabilities

Powell

Johnson

2019

Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Context: Previous research has shown that Americans with disabilities turn out to vote at significantly lower levels than people without disabilities, even after accounting for demographic and other situational factors related to political involvement. The authors examined the potential mechanisms underlying their low turnout. They asked whether people with disabilities exhibit participatory attitudes and behaviors at levels commensurate with their other individual-level characteristics. Methods: The present study conducted descriptive and predictive analyses on data from the 2012 and 2016 American National Election Studies. Findings: Despite low levels of turnout in recent elections, people with disabilities were just as participatory, if not more so, when considering alternative forms of political engagement. Our analyses indicate that, while disability status had no bearing on political efficacy or partisan strength, those with disabilities reported being even more interested in politics than those without disabilities. Evidence is provided that depressed turnout rates among those with disabilities may be due in part to lower levels of attentiveness to the news, political knowledge, and negative perceptions of government. Conclusions: The psychological impacts and behavioral consequences that emerge from possessing a disability and the broader role of disability in the American political context are multifaceted. This area of research would benefit from future studies which examine a variety of electoral contexts.

show abstract

Section: Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%