Ambition and Access to Power in Parties and Parliaments

Abstract

Political ambition and access to power are conditioned by multiple intersecting structures within and beyond parties and parliaments. Panellists not only test whether relevant theories developed in Western contexts apply elsewhere, but also whether strategies to improve representation are actually working. Papers ask: how do the intersections of gender and caste condition political ambition in the India? How does gender intersect with race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality to structure the attainment and exercise of decision-making power in parties in Brazil? How are masculinities co-constructed within Fiji's political parties, and what implications does this have for the interplay of power, representation, and intersectionality? How is appointment to legislative committees in Rwanda and South Africa conditioned by gender? To what extent and how are US Women Candidate Groups effective as a mechanism to bring more women into legislatures?

Title	Details
Gender and Legislative Committees in Africa: A Study of Rwanda and South Africa	View Paper Details
The Contours of Masculinity in Fiji's Political Landscape: The Co-construction of Masculinities through Political Parties	View Paper Details
Women Candidate Groups and Political Parties in the US States	View Paper Details
Breaking the (Political) Glass Ceiling: Examining the Gender Gap in Political Ambition in India	View Paper Details
Political parties and women’s agency in Brazil and beyond	View Paper Details