Editorial introduction: Gender and political financing
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/01925121211040961 |
| Published date | 01 January 2023 |
| Date | 01 January 2023 |
https://doi.org/10.1177/01925121211040961
International Political Science Review
2023, Vol. 44(1) 3 –12
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/01925121211040961
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Editorial introduction: Gender and
political financing
Rainbow Murray
Queen Mary University of London, UK
Ragnhild Muriaas
University of Bergen, Norway
Vibeke Wang
Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway
Abstract
Contesting elections is extremely expensive. The need for money excludes many prospective candidates,
resulting in the over-representation of wealth within politics. The cost of contesting elections has been
underestimated as a cause of women’s under-representation. Covering seven case studies in six papers,
this special issue makes theoretical and empirical contributions to understanding how political financing is
gendered. We look at the impact on candidates, arguing that the personal costs of running for office can be
prohibitive, and that fundraising is harder for female challengers. We also explore the role of political parties,
looking at when and how parties might introduce mitigating measures to support female candidates with the
costs of running. We demonstrate how political institutions shape the cost of running for office, illustrate
how this is gendered and consider the potential consequences of institutional reform. We also note how
societal gender norms can have financial repercussions for women candidates.
Keywords
Electoral financing, gender, parties, institutions, comparative politics, quotas
Introduction
Money is power, and power is very difficult to access without money. Contesting elections is a very
costly affair that compels many candidates around the world to have, and/or raise, large sums of
Corresponding author:
Rainbow Murray, School of Politics and International Relations, Queen Mary University of London, 327 Mile End Road,
London, E1 4NS, UK.
Email: r.r.murray@qmul.ac.uk
1040961IPS0010.1177/01925121211040961International Political Science ReviewMurray et al.
research-article2021
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