Disability and Political Parties: A Comparative Analysis

• In Event: Paths to Political Representation of People with Disabilities

Abstract

Political parties perform an important range of functions within representative democracies: offering a link between citizens, the legislature, and executives; selecting and fielding candidates for elected office; developing policy; shaping public opinion; and of course, offering citizens a route into political activism. Some political parties have been particularly effective at recruiting, mobilising, and organising members from traditionally marginalised social groups - especially those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, women, or young people. However, we know relatively little about the extent to which parties actively facilitate the political participation of people with disabilities, who constitute around 16% of the world’s population (WHO, 2023) and who tend to be amongst the most politically, economically, and socially marginalised. This paper aims to fill that gap by drawing upon comparative analysis of the main political parties across six democracies: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK. The research seeks to understand whether, how, and in what contexts political parties facilitate or institutionalise support for members with disabilities. Specifically, the study addresses four questions 1) which, if any, parties codify the role of people with disabilities within party constitutions? 2) are there inter-party groups or caucuses for people with disabilities, and if so what role do they play in the wider party? 3) have any parties developed specific political recruitment strategies to select candidates with disabilities? And 4) how does the codification, or otherwise, of the participation of people with disabilities compare with the treatment of other traditionally marginalised groups?

Author

• Elizabeth J. Evans, Goldsmiths, University of London