Political Inequality

Inequality in political participation and influence has strongly increased in recent decades. In this lecture, Professor Julia Cagé will focus on three aspects of political inequality: the increasing concentration of both political and charitable donations, the growing gap in descriptive representation, and the persistent lack of substantive representation. Based on the existing literature as well as on novel evidence, she will relate these aspects to the recent widening of turnout inequality. The author will then examine novel forms of participation – e.g. the rise of small donors in the US – and the efficiency of policies aimed at improving representation. Finally, the author will discuss new avenues for research.