pros and cons of descriptive representation pros and cons of descriptive representation

By conducting research and engaging with faculty and students at Harvard Kennedy School and beyond, the fellows enrich the intellectual life of the center. (2012). By analyzing data, researchers can identify trends that may not have been apparent otherwise. Hood III, and Mason Reece, Descriptive Representation in Election Administration. While That means the representatives are required to build consensus through compromise, which results in moderate, centrist policies instead of sliding to the left or the right. The research carried out in a national census is descriptive, since it is only interested in data such as the number of population, the salary they receive, or what class the household is, without making any kind of analogy between these. It allows different voices to be heard. There may even be safe states in U.S. presidential elections since most states award all electoral votes to the majority candidate. In the following paragraphs, I will describe the behavior I wished to observe in my chosen laboratory, the results that I obtained, and I will have provided a detailed explanation of my observation method used. A contingent yes. - Volume 55 Issue 2. The downsides of using descriptive research include that it is limiting, cannot identify cause and effect, and may be biased. That structure makes it easier for extremist views to find official representation. The main difference between descriptive and substantive representation is that in descriptive representation, representatives have similar backgrounds to the people they represent, whereas, in substantive representation, representatives focus on the issues of a particular group. descriptive representation pros and cons proceedings of the international conference on learning representations. Hayes, M., Hibbing, M.V. Some of the disadvantages of naturalistic observations is that the observers dont have control over the research and sometimes by not having control the research can be bad or the experiment itself can go wrong and something could happen to the observer or the observed. Schwindt-Bayer, L. A., & Mishler, W. (2005). Naturalistic observation is around us and can used by the ordinary person to a psychologist in extensive research. Wh, The failed NFL diversity rule corporate America loves, Practicing DEI: A Conversation with HKS Alums, International Womens Day Community Breakfast, Harvard Alumni Allyship Series: International Women's Day, But the Fellows Are Simply Diversity Hires! How Organizational Contexts Influence Status Beliefs, 3 Negotiation Myths Still Harming Womens Careers. What is a Descriptive Representative? The American Political Science Review, 535547. That creates a system of government that tends to be indecisive and weak because everyone argues for their own best interests. But the truth about that quote is that it actually arose from Henry Kett's 1814 collection of proverbs and Bon Mots called . 1999 The University of Chicago Press Advantages and disadvantages of descriptive research. Explore all the programs, projects, and initiatives at the Women and Public Policy Program. The most prevalent number-based scholarship linking women's descriptive and substantive political repre An integrated model of womens representation. However the disadvantages are; lack of control of variables, observer bias, limited to public places or certain types of behaviours, which may create ethical issues. It is discussed in this paper as a means to enhance the declining legitimacy of Dutch works councils as important sites of democratic decision-making in their own right. Mailbox 100 This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. The American Political Science Review, 165177. tees, and voters weigh the pros and cons of descriptive representation, this analysis argues for attention to the specific historical contexts that make descrip-tive representation most useful. Representativeness and elections: A policy analysis. Political Behavior 05.17.2018, https://electionlab.mit.edu/articles/descriptive-representation-election-administration. Congresswomen and symbolic representation. 4. Gender & Conflict Gender Action Portal This type of research is often used in the social sciences, but can be used in other disciplines as well. volume39,pages 3150 (2017)Cite this article. Under the system of proportional representation, any party with a high enough percentage of the vote will receive a seat in the government. The effect of black voters interacting with a black poll worker when compared to a non-black poll worker increases the probability of being very confident in ballot accuracy from a range of 8 to 10 percentage points. Womens Experience with Prescribing Providers? The study included pregnant women that are depressed. To investigate this, we also ran an identical treatment on an MTurk sample that allowed us to identify subjects zip codes. Koch, J. For a discussion of the representativeness and validity of MTurk as a data source, see Buhrmester etal. Since subjects are randomly assigned to conditions and we have good balance on demographic items across treatment conditions, we are not particularly concerned about potential confounds. Given the important role that poll workers play as the street level bureaucrats that voters encounter and the role that descriptive representation can play in legitimizing government, it stands to reason that for minority voters, interacting with a poll worker of similar racial identity will increase confidence in elections. Naturalistic observation is valuable technique utilised as research method which are commonly employed by psychologist and social scientist. It allows you to collect data in a natural environment that gives high-quality and honest data collection. During the fall 2022 semester, students across Harvard University examined women's education as both a preventative tool and as a perpetrator of conflict in a course taught by Rangita de Silva de Alwis, HKS Adjunct Professor of Public Policy. Under a standard system of proportional representation, voters are able to cast a single transferable vote, or an STV. In the United States, where there are two major parties in a winner-takes-all format, each elected representative only represents a simple majority of the population. Researchers surely appreciate the ease of which they are able to problem solve, collect data and share the results of their, Neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development. This is an increasing trend since the previous Congress had three states which had, Further, immigrants also form part of Congress who totals. Advantages and disadvantages of descriptive research. 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. Guinier, L. (1995). These individuals are served byalmost one million citizens who volunteer to serve as poll workers at more than 100,000 polling locations across the United States. Does descriptive race representation enhance institutional legitimacy? Proportional representation is a system of political representation that has been growing by leaps and bounds. The WAGE research initiative focuses on data-driven strategies organizations can use to "debias" their systems and create more inclusive workplaces, as well as interventions that enhance individuals agency in negotiating more gender-equitable work arrangements, including paid and unpaid labor. See Jane run: Women politicians as role models for adolescents. It makes things easier for extreme parties to gain representation. When voters vote in person, poll workers are the street level bureaucrats charged with complying with local, state, and federal laws, setting up the polling location, checking voters in and verifying voter registration status, providing assistance and remedy when there are problems with the voting machines, responding to citizens concerns and questions, and closing the polling location. Advantages and disadvantages of descriptive research. Polit Behav 39, 3150 (2017). Although this research is highly accurate, it does not gather the causes behind a situation. Descriptive representation is hotly contested. That prevents incumbents from staying in office, even if 60% of the population has voted against them. Just 5 countries in the world today use a system that is based on plurality voting. The brevity by which descriptive investigations are carried out means that their costs are not high, compared to other types of investigations. By making the decision-making process more . American Political Science Review, 95, 589602. Data from the 2016Survey of the Performance of American Elections(SPAE) was used to evaluate the relationship between descriptive representation and confidence. One of the benefits of descriptive representation is that the MEM representative's ethnicity and certain ethnic features of that representative's ethnicity can make MEM voters feel empowered.7 Such features can include physical appearance like skin colour and hair type. During elections, millions of citizens vote in person either before or on Election Day. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Due to the relatively small number of African Americans in our sample, we report 90% confidence intervals throughout for both white and black subjects. American Political Science Review, 90, 794812. Carrying out a descriptive investigation that collects data about the political party that people will choose in the next elections, it is possible to predict, with a margin of error, the result that will be obtained in them. Some examples of descriptive investigations may be the following: Studying the penguin population that exists in the South Georgia Islands is a descriptive investigation that answers the what and where. You gain tremendous benefits by working with a random sample drawn from a population. Heres what we know. The political representation of blacks in Congress: Does race matter? The article concludes with a discussion on the important avenues for future research as the level of diversity in Congress increases and more . Higher levels of education were associated with higher perceptions of fairness. The main question I consider in the paper is how to overcome the essentialism of descriptive representation. delaware state police requirements; methanol water boiling point; oregon dmv permit renewal; census enumeration district maps uk A: MMP or mixed-member proportional representation is a political system used in places like New Zealand and Germany, where voters cast a two-part ballot, selecting both a preferred local. 17 Pivotal Hydroelectricity Pros and Cons, 18 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of the Payback Period, 20 Advantages and Disadvantages of Leasing a Car, 19 Advantages and Disadvantages of Debt Financing, 24 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of a C Corporation, 16 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Mediation, 18 Advantages and Disadvantages of a Gated Community, 17 Big Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups, 17 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Corporate Bonds, 19 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Annuities, 17 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Advertising. 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. With more voices heard, there is a better chance that real action can be taken within the government. It can only describe a situation and cannot explain why something is happening. By Colin Jones, Robert M. Stein, Lonna Atkeson, M.V. In the end, there is however a set of remaining pro arguments suggesting that descriptive representation produces some exclusive benefits. Some of the most important are listed below. Schwindt-Bayer, L. A. what does silent notifications mean; why is there a shortage of paper towels again? In this contribution we distinguish the substantive and the descriptive approach of representation. It is discussed in this paper as a means to enhance the declining legitimacy of Dutch works councils as important sites of democratic decisionmaking in their own right. Naturalistic observation is important in psychological research because it gives insight into the natural behaviors of people. In this paper, we employ a novel experimental design to investigate how citizens feel about the relative importance of descriptive and substantive representation. The limitations of descriptive research include that it cannot explain why something is happening and may be biased. Evaluating online labor markets for experimental research: Amazon.coms mechanical turk. It evaluates empirical evidence on the impact of race, gender, and ethnicity on the behavior of legislators. An American who represents themselves in court has a fool for a client, according to an old story told about former President Abraham Lincoln. Hero, R. E. & Tolbert, C. J. As long as a party receives enough of a proportional vote to equal one seat, they will be represented within the government at some level. Amazons Mechanical Turk is an online system through which workers can complete short tasks for compensation. 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Descriptive representation describes the extent to which public officials reflect the demographic composition of the constituents that they serve. This article will briefly describe each of these methods, their advantages, and their drawbacks. One of the biggest advantages of descriptive research is that it allows you to analyze facts and helps you in developing an in-depth understanding of the research problem. It is more difficult to have extremism in government when proportional representation is in place as a full majority is more difficult to achieve. The closer assessment of pros and cons will. 2-3:30 pm suggest descriptive representation leads to substantive representation in Congress. Descriptive research is a type of research that is used to describe a population or phenomenon. Thu., Mar. On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion. New Haven: Yale University press. (1993). In, addition, women representation has grown over the years with the current Congress having more, women in positions of power. ; ; 2, The SPAE is a national survey that is used to gauge the quality of the election experience. Advantages and disadvantages of descriptive research. So it can be said that fundamentally numerical values are obtained. They get straight to the point, without relying on consumers . Descriptive research can be particularly useful in identifying trends or patterns. That means the 49% of people who voted Republican will be represented by somebody for whom they did not vote. According to CIRT, qualitative research studies can provide you with details about human behavior, emotions, and personality characteristic. More is better: The influence of collective female descriptive representation on external efficacy. Thibaut, J. W., Walker, L., et al. They have no way of having that vote be represented. In addition to elected officials, descriptive representation can contribute to how legitimate citizens view the actions of bureaucrats (when black citizens are stopped by black police officers, they are more likely to perceive their actions aslegitimate) and encourage involvement in government (when there are more blacks in public institutions, the likelihood ofinvolvement by blacks increases). The closest comparative system would be the representative republic, such as used in the United . When nondescriptive representatives have, for various reasons, greater Since its origins in 1890 as one of the three main divisions of the University of Chicago, The University of Chicago Press has embraced as its mission the obligation to disseminate scholarship of the highest standard and to publish serious works that promote education, foster public understanding, and enrich cultural life. The advantages of descriptive research include that it is easy to conduct, can be used to gather large amounts of data, and can provide a baseline for future research. Are Russian troops using sexual violence as a weapon? Any system of government can fall victim to extremism. This form of research provides insight on human nature, we are able to understand basic psychological processes from this. Grose, C. R. (2011). It encourages a coalition government. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution. June 9, 2022 Posted by is bristol, ct a good place to live; Political power and womens representation in Latin America. Google Scholar. However, it is important to understand its limitations and when it is most appropriate to use. Canada, France, and India join the U.S. and the United Kingdom as being an alternative structure. California: University of California Press. Specifically, the following methods were applied: the mode was used to identify the data with the highest frequency; the mean. These descriptive representations reflect the usage characteristics of the end product, what the owner (s) are going to do with the end product, or how they will use it once they get it in their possession. Should blacks represent blacks and women represent women? This information can be used to develop hypotheses for further research. (1997). McCrone, D. J. American Journal of Political Science, 511535. Descriptive research is used to gain information about behavior. The Journal of Politics, 59(01), 73103. Race, representation, and trust: Changes in attitudes after the election of a black mayor.