Do stereotypes explain discrimination against minority candidates or discrimination in favor of majority candidates?
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Authors
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Publication date
2022
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01A - Journal article
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Parent work
British Journal of Political Science
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Volume
52
Issue / Number
2
Pages / Duration
501-519
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Publisher / Publishing institution
Cambridge University Press
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Abstract
Scholars have examined the role that negative stereotypes play in electoral discrimination against minority candidates. Incorporating literature on in-group favoritism, the author argues here that some degree of this discrimination can be explained instead by voters holding positive stereotypes of majority candidates and discriminating in their favor. Based on the results of an original moderation-of-process survey experiment carried out in Italy, the study provides evidence of electoral discrimination pertaining to immigrant-origin candidates, concentrated among right-wing citizens. It finds that stereotypes have little mediating effect on discrimination against candidates with a migration background; rather, the primary role played by stereotypes is in discrimination in favor of majority candidates, that is, positive bias that reserves electoral benefits to them. The relevance of in-group favoritism is corroborated by the finding that large segments of the Italian voting population hold distinctively positive stereotypes of majority candidates without also negatively stereotyping immigrant-origin candidates.
Keywords
electoral discrimination, in-group favoritism, minority candidates, stereotypes, survey experiment
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ISBN
ISSN
1469-2112
0007-1234
0007-1234
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
No
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Publication status
Published
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Peer review of the complete publication
Open access category
Hybrid
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Citation
Portmann, L. (2022). Do stereotypes explain discrimination against minority candidates or discrimination in favor of majority candidates? British Journal of Political Science, 52(2), 501–519. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123420000800