Electoral discrimination against immigrant-origin candidates
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Authors
Author (Corporation)
Publication date
2019
Typ of student thesis
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Type
01A - Journal article
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Parent work
Political Behavior
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DOI of the original publication
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Series
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Volume
41
Issue / Number
Pages / Duration
105-134
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Publisher / Publishing institution
Springer
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Abstract
This article explores the Electoral Discrimination thesis, according to which voters tend to discriminate against minority candidates. The free-list PR system used in Swiss elections—which allows voters to cast negative preference votes against candidates they do not want to support—offers a unique opportunity to test this thesis. Specifically, we analyze the relationship between immigrant-origin candidates bearing non-Swiss names and the negative preference votes allocated by voters to single candidates. Using a novel research strategy, based on election data stemming from our analysis of real ballots cast in the 2014 local elections in the Canton of Zurich, the article shows that candidates with non-Swiss names incur a significant electoral penalty. The effects of Electoral Discrimination are stronger, however, among supporters of parties from the Right and Center-Right. Interestingly, candidates bearing non-Swiss but Western names do not fare better than candidates with names of non-Western origin. We argue that our results have important implications for the comparative literature interested in electoral systems and minority representation.
Keywords
Electoral systems, Electoral behavior, Minority representation, Immigrant-origin minorities, Discrimination
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ISBN
ISSN
1573-6687
0190-9320
0190-9320
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
No
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Published
Review
Peer review of the complete publication
Open access category
Closed
License
Citation
Portmann, L., & Stojanović, N. (2019). Electoral discrimination against immigrant-origin candidates. Political Behavior, 41, 105–134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-017-9440-6