Why Not Ask the Representatives? Parliamentary Candidates’ Attitudes Towards Immigrant Representation in Germany

Tracing roots of group representation among MPs with immigrant backgrounds: A content analysis on parliamentary questions in the Netherlands

“…The female identity may bring a greater empathy to the interests of others who would seem to have been sidelined as well as creating an incentive to join powers in challenging the status quo established by the upper-class white men. Empirical results (Aydemir and Vliegenthart, 2016;Ceyhan, 2018;Garret, 2017;Murray, 2016), however, challenge such expectations. Female representatives of minority origin bring no additional difference in regard to reflecting ethnic and/or cultural diversity into decision-making processes.…”

“…As Ceyhan (2018) convincingly argues, the under-representation of women in decision-making mechanisms might lead to a solidarity with other under-represented groups – including ethnic and religious minorities. The female identity may bring a greater empathy to the interests of others who would seem to have been sidelined as well as creating an incentive to join powers in challenging the status quo established by the upper-class white men.…”

Candidate selection and ethnic minority aspirants: Exploring the effect of party selectors’ biases in a PR system

“…The evaluation of three of these statements (‘people of non-western origin who live in Flanders enrich Flanders’ cultural life’, ‘people of non-western origin who live in Flanders increase criminality rates’ and ‘people of non-western origin who live in Flanders turned Flanders into a better place to live’) were computed into a single measure (1 = very negative and 7 = very positive) (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.847). Third, the regional party affiliation of the local party chairs was included as a control variable because leftist parties are more open towards (ethnic minority) group representation (Ceyhan, 2018). Because only eight participants belonged to the far left, they were excluded from the analyses which included party affiliation.…”

Representations of ‘Other’ Immigrants in the Agendas of Politicians of Immigrant Background: A Content Analysis on the Case of the Netherlands

“…As is the case with regard to party identity, gender does not yield to more supportive policies when MPs from immigrant backgrounds address voters with whom they share similar backgrounds. Quite the contrary, female MPs from migratory backgrounds are more likely to follow restrictive policies on immigrant minority cultures and/or religions (Celis and Mügge, 2018;Ceyhan, 2018;Garett, 2017;Murray, 2016). However, we do not know whether gender identity leads to a difference in framing issues concerning asylum seekers, refugees and other new immigrants in today's era of migration.…”

“…Gender will be another key dimension in explaining variance in the policy choices of MPs of migratory origin. Coming from another disadvantaged group might indeed create an additional empathy to those whose voices remain unheard in contemporary politics (Ceyhan, 2018). As is the case with regard to party identity, gender does not yield to more supportive policies when MPs from immigrant backgrounds address voters with whom they share similar backgrounds.…”