From Exclusion to Recognition: Disability, Citizenship and Political Institutions

Abstract

How do institutions and policy regimes help or hinder disabled people’s participation in political life? What are the drivers and consequences of recognising disabled people’s social and political rights? And how can disability help us rethink our theoretical and empirical understanding of governance, rules and norms? This panel brings together four papers which examine these questions using a diverse range of epistemological and methodological approaches to consider different ways in which people with disabilities are shaped by existing political institutions and systems. Ludek explores the barriers to political participation for neurodivergent people, using qualitative interviews to examine the impact of NGOs in advancing their inclusion in Poland. Obata uses a regression discontinuity design in India to investigate how being recognised as disabled and eligible for state support affects political engagement. Focusing on the basic right to vote, Raykowski examines the persistent barriers to universal suffrage for people with cognitive impairments, and, drawing on mixed methods, develops new theories of suffrage reform. Finally, Sonnicksen develops an innovative research agenda for interrogating the relationship between federalism and disability, examining its potential for impactful policy-making and delivery as well as reflecting on more foundational questions of power and rights. The four papers examine different aspects of political systems in a diverse set of countries, bringing together an international group of scholars at different career stages who are working on issues related to disability – a topic still often sidelined within political science.

Title	Details
Institutional Inclusion of Neurodivergent Citizens in Poland: The Perspective of Non-Governmental Organizations	View Paper Details
Official Recognition and Political Participation Among Persons with Disabilities	View Paper Details
Why States Expand PCI Suffrage: UNCRPD Committee Experiences	View Paper Details
Federalism and Disability: Notes Toward a Research Agenda	View Paper Details
Illness and Citizenship	View Paper Details