One intersection too many? Studying the effect of multiple candidate quotas in Sweden

Candidate quotas is a popular instrument used by political parties to redress persistent inequalities in political representation among different social strata. Past studies provide evidence that when different types of candidate quotas are used simultaneously by political parties, political aspirants with certain combinations of characteristics might enjoy a double- or triple advantage (e.g., woman and young or woman with an immigrant background, etc.) over others. Much of the existing evidence, however, is of qualitative- or experimental nature. With the help of the Swedish population registry data, this paper tests the veracity of existing theories concerning the impact of multiple candidate quotas on who gets selected and, ultimately, elected. While the study finds support for some popular assumptions, others are dispelled.