The impact of occupational background on issue representation

authored by: Jan A. Velimsky, Sebastian Block, Martin Gross, Dominic Nyhuis
Abstract: Descriptive representation matters for substantive representation. Yet, one key legislator characteristic has received comparatively little attention in research on substantive representation: the occupational background of members of parliament. In this article, it is argued that occupational background shapes patterns of representation since the choice of occupation both indicates certain interests while also generating expertise in issues related to the job. In order to assess this proposition, there is an analysis of whether local councillors’ occupations affect their issue emphasis in the local council and to what extent this effect is moderated by parties’ issue saliences. Empirically, the study focuses on local councillors’ issue emphasis using data on 1,269 local councillors in Germany between 2011 and 2020. The results have important implications for understanding local councillors’ descriptive and substantive representation as they show that occupation matters: councillors emphasise issues related to their occupation more often than other representatives.
Organisation(s): Institute of Political Science
External Organisation(s): University of Stuttgart
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
Type: Article
Journal: West European Politics
Volume: 48
Pages: 645-668
No. of pages: 24
ISSN: 0140-2382
Publication date: 2025
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Political Science and International Relations
Electronic version(s): https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/The_impact_of_occupational_background_on_issue_representation/25041921 (Access: Open)
https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2023.2294666 (Access: Closed)

BibTeX

@article{f556b3cf059643a5b48e59f8f444ca86,
title = "The impact of occupational background on issue representation",
abstract = "Descriptive representation matters for substantive representation. Yet, one key legislator characteristic has received comparatively little attention in research on substantive representation: the occupational background of members of parliament. In this article, it is argued that occupational background shapes patterns of representation since the choice of occupation both indicates certain interests while also generating expertise in issues related to the job. In order to assess this proposition, there is an analysis of whether local councillors{\textquoteright} occupations affect their issue emphasis in the local council and to what extent this effect is moderated by parties{\textquoteright} issue saliences. Empirically, the study focuses on local councillors{\textquoteright} issue emphasis using data on 1,269 local councillors in Germany between 2011 and 2020. The results have important implications for understanding local councillors{\textquoteright} descriptive and substantive representation as they show that occupation matters: councillors emphasise issues related to their occupation more often than other representatives.",
keywords = "descriptive representation, Germany, Issue representation, occupation, parliamentary questions, substantive representation",
author = "Velimsky, {Jan A.} and Sebastian Block and Martin Gross and Dominic Nyhuis",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.",
year = "2025",
doi = "10.1080/01402382.2023.2294666",
language = "English",
volume = "48",
pages = "645--668",
journal = "West European Politics",
issn = "0140-2382",
publisher = "Routledge",
number = "3",
}