Is Age a Case for Electoral Quotas? A Benchmark for Affirmative Action in Politics

Abstract

Is age a suitable case for electoral quotas on the same grounds invoked for women in politics? If affirmative action should not be arbitrarily applied to a few social groups, we must specify the conditions that could serve as a benchmark which a group must pass in order to qualify for its application. Drawing from the literature on women in politics, this article sets up empirical indicators to examine the political under-representation of younger and older age groups: whether the age-related pattern of political under-representation is linked to stereotypes and bias that negatively affect its engagement in politics, and whether these age groups face special issues that give them a unique perspective, which only those who directly experience them can fully advocate in decision-making fora. Affirmative action raises questions about the boundaries of identity, the limits of politics as a vehicle for social change and the meaning of electoral choice.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Figures published by the UK Electoral Commission and Ipsos MORI.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aris Trantidis

Aris Trantidis is a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute, the Social Sciences Department, in Florence, Italy. His research interests lie at the intersection of politics, public policy and political economy. His work has been both empirical and conceptual-theoretical and appears in several journals such as the Journal of European Public Policy, Democratization, and Politics. He has recently published a book on the Greek crisis with Routledge titled ‘Clientelism and Economic Reforms: Greece and the Crisis’.