Bridging a Gap? Policy Congruence between Elites and Citizens with Disabilities

• In Event: Inequalities in Representation: The Ability of Elites to Represent Citizens

Abstract

Are citizens with disabilities better represented by political elites with disabilities? The question of whether citizens' policy preferences will be advanced by politicians 'like them' has been explored with respect to gender, income and other characteristics. In contrast, disability has received scant attention, despite persistent discrimination and marginalisation on the one hand and low numbers of disabled politicians on the other. This paper discusses potential motivations and reasons for disabled candidates to (not) represent disabled citizens. Linking voter and candidate survey data from the 2015 British election, the analysis shows that having a disability increases support for healthcare spending and, to a lesser extent, general public spending among both citizens and candidates. Meanwhile, the more left-wing ideology and stronger support for redistribution of disabled citizens are not mirrored among candidates. To determine whether the positions of disabled candidates are more congruent with those of disabled voters, the study employs a recently developed method which analyses voter-candidate dyads.

Author

• Stefanie Reher, University of Strathclyde