Do African MPs reflect the people who vote for them? We studied 17 countries to find out

By Robert Mattes, Professor in Government and Public Policy, University of Strathclyde, and Adjunct Professor in the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town, University of Strathclyde
Matthias Krönke, Lecturer, University of Reading
Shaheen Mozaffar, Professor Emeritus, Political Science, Bridgewater State University

By the end of 2025, 42 African countries will have held national elections in the previous 24 months. But do these elections produce parliaments that accurately reflect the societies they serve? Aside from studies of women in Africa’s legislatures, there is surprisingly little information about this important issue.

Elected parliaments are the essence of representative democracy. Law makers are more likely to know what voters need and want if they…

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