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Canadian Political Science Association2025 Annual Conference Programme
The Politics of Belonging: Conflict,
Community, Curriculum
Hosted at George Brown College, Toronto, CANADA
June 3 to June 5, 20252025 Annual Conference Programme
The Politics of Belonging: Conflict,
Community, Curriculum
Hosted at George Brown College
June 3 to June 5, 2025
Canadian Politics
A13(c) - Roundtable - Measuring Representation
Date: Jun 4 | Time: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Location:
Chair/Président/Présidente : Erica Rayment (University of Calgary)
Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Elizabeth McCallion (University of Toronto)
Roce Koop (University of Manitoba)Jack Lucas (University of Calgary)
Sarah Childs (University of Edinburgh)
Kelly Blidook (Memorial University of Newfoundland)
Tracey Raney (Toronto Metropolitan University)
Erin Tolley (Carleton University)
Abstract: What does it mean for politicians to represent the interests of their constituents? How can political scientists identify and evaluate representational behaviour? This roundtable engages with questions about the conceptualization and measurement of substantive representation in empirical studies of political representation. Participants will share insights and best practices on key questions, including: What challenges do we face in operationalizing this complex and multifaceted concept? What dimensions of substantive representation do (or should) we focus on? What metrics or indicators do we use to measure the concept and what techniques do we employ to gather data? These questions are important for both mainstream scholars of legislative politics and for those who study gender and politics. This roundtable aims to create opportunities for these two scholarly communities to learn from and enrich one another.