The Political Class in Advanced Democracies

The Politics of Party Leader Survival and Succession: Australia in Comparative Perspective

“…But in a world where loyal 'partisans' among the voters are on the decline, politics is becoming more personalised: although the formal rules of the political game have hardly changed, the de facto political impact of factors such as leadership personality and style has increased significantly (McAllister 2007). This being the case, it is important to engage in more systematic studies of the recruitment, careers and removal of party leaders and other political office holders (Borchert and Zeiss 2003). This article contributes to this endeavour.…”

Measuring the Quality of Politicians Elected by Gender Quotas – Are They Any Different?

“…To what extent is it normatively desirable for women elected via a gender quota to hold social, educational and political backgrounds that are broadly similar to the men who have previously dominated political legislatures? (Childs and Krook, 2012; As interest in the ideas of a political class and the professionalisation of politics grows (Borchert and Zeiss, 2003;Oborne, 2007), this article provides an insight into how gender quotas fit into this debate, highlighting the overall similarity of British 'quota women' to their colleagues, both male and female, selected through traditional procedures. Whether this similarity aids or hinders the potential for gender quotas to result in transformative substantive representation is a question for future research in this area, which should build on recent institutionalist considerations of how representatives from traditionally underrepresented groups adapt to the longstanding norms of the institutions they enter (Celis and Wauters, 2010).…”

“…It is common for national-level legislators to gain their first election to office in middle age, with youth seen as an indicator of inexperience (Borchert and Zeiss, 2003). This is as true of women elected via a gender quota as of any other politicians.…”

What Do We Mean When We Talk about the ‘Political Class’?

“…Has this clarity been produced by scholars? Certainly, it is a subject that has attracted the attention of many, but there is still ambiguity in the literature (see Borchert and Zeiss, 2003;Burch and Moran, 1985;Cotta and Best, 2007;Guttsman, 1965;Kavanagh, 1992;King, 1983;Mosca, 1939;Rush and Cromwell, 2000;Stanworth and Giddens, 1974;Weber, 1919). For example, Mosca (1939, pp.…”