Unelected Representatives as Powerbrokers and Policymakers

Abstract

Unelected powerbrokers and policymakers in parliaments and other institutions remain understudied in scholarship on representation. This panel considers the activities of parliamentary and constituency staff, lobbyists, donors, experts and activists in diverse contexts, spanning, Sweden, Ghana, the US and Canada, and Asia. Papers demonstrate the methodological and theoretical value of measuring women’s political power in ways that go beyond numerical representation in elective offices, illustrating the importance of situating women’s political influence within complex ecosystems. Papers also frame legislatures as workplaces, centering those who often have less formal power and drawing on feminist institutionalism, as well as considering the backgrounds of experts involved in the national policy-making process and international organisations.

Title	Details
Constituency Service (Staff’s Version): How MP’s Staff do Representation	View Paper Details
Gender Dynamics of the Parliamentary Service in Ghana	View Paper Details
Rethinking Women's Political Power in Pennsylvania	View Paper Details
Who Gives Expert Advice? Studying experts involved in Swedish policymaking	View Paper Details