"Geographic, Substantive, and Descriptive Representation Through the Lens of the Represented"
(with Michael M. Bechtel,
Simon LĂĽchinger, and
Lukas Schmid).
[Preregistration] [Abstract]
A central question in the study of democracy is how different types of political representation affect the performance of democratic
systems and, in turn, support for democracy. We contribute to this question by investigating mass preferences over geographic, substantive, and descriptive representation
through the lens of citizens. We explore preferences over democratic representation using data from surveys fielded to samples of the adult population in eight
industrialized democracies (Australia, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Turkey, and the United States). Our main evidence is based on a novel conjoint-experimental
design that presents respondents with scenarios varying the level of over- and under-representation along geographic, substantive, and descriptive dimensions. By analyzing
how changes in the level of representation drives both support for a scenario and agreement with a set of statements that followed each conjoint task we identify whether
preferences over representation type mirror diverging beliefs about economic performance, redistribution, and legislative outcomes. We discuss the implications of these
findings for our understanding of electoral accountability, perceived responsiveness, and satisfaction with democracy.