Electoral discrimination, party rationale, and the underrepresentation of immigrant‐origin politicians
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Author (Corporation)
Publication date
2025
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01A - Journal article
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Parent work
American Journal of Political Science
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Series number
Volume
69
Issue / Number
1
Pages / Duration
19-35
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Publisher / Publishing institution
Wiley
Place of publication / Event location
Bloomington
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Abstract
Immigrants and other minorities are underrepresented in politics in most Western democracies. We argue that strategically acting party gatekeepers who update their nomination strategies based on voter behavior contribute to this representation gap. Drawing on unique panel data from Swiss local elections, we find that candidates with a “foreign‐sounding” name systematically receive not only fewer votes but are also fielded on less promising list positions compared to native candidates. We track candidates across elections and show that this inequality is driven by voter discrimination in previous elections. Our study carries relevance for research on minority candidates by linking different stages in the electoral process and showing how parties indirectly discriminate due to their use of candidate‐performance information. It also bears practical implications, pointing to avenues how parties can break the cycle of discrimination in the electoral process.
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ISSN
1540-5907
0092-5853
0092-5853
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
Yes
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Published
Review
peer-reviewed
Open access category
Hybrid
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Citation
Auer, D., Portmann, L., & Tichelbaecker, T. (2025). Electoral discrimination, party rationale, and the underrepresentation of immigrant‐origin politicians. American Journal of Political Science, 69(1), 19–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12817