Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? A Contingent "Yes"

1999/08/01 by Jane Mansbridge · 2,911 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Deliberation #Descriptive research #Descriptive statistics #Disadvantaged #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Gender Politics and Representation #Law #Legitimacy #Meaning (existential) #Political science #Politics #Polity #Psychology #Religion and Society Interactions #Representation (politics) #Social psychology #Social science #Sociology

paper · doi:10.2307/2647821

published in The Journal of Politics 61(3), 628-657 (University of Chicago Press)

openalex publication_date 1999/08/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

Disadvantaged groups gain advantages from descriptive representation in at least four contexts. In contexts of group mistrust and uncrystallized interests, the better communication and experiential knowledge of descriptive representatives enhances their substantive representation of the group's interests by improving the quality of deliberation. In contexts of historical political subordination and low de facto legitimacy, descriptive representation helps create a social meaning of "ability to rule" and increases the attachment to the polity of members of the group. When the implementation of descriptive representation involves some costs in other values, paying those costs makes most sense in these specific historical contexts.

Citations

• The Role of Social Groups in Political Thinking
• Decisions and Nondecisions: An Analytical Framework

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