Does Religion Count for Religious Parliamentary Representation? Evidence from Early Day Motions

Abstract

The article addresses one facet of the representation puzzle, namely substantive minority representation in the UK House of Commons. It examines if a religious Jewish and Muslim minority background stimulates politicians from these backgrounds to address issues of concern for Jewish and Muslim minority groups in Early Day Motions (EDMs), and compares the effects from identity-based and institutional predictors. The study draws upon previous studies that used low-cost parliamentary activities to assess the impact of gender and ethnic minority identities on the representation of women and ethnic minorities, employing quantitative content analysis and time-series cross-sectional (TSCS) data analysis to examine the content of EDMs sponsored by MPs from Jewish and Muslim background (plus a control group) between 1997 and 2012. The analyses test for the effects of religious background and institutional predictors on the likelihood of referring to minority issues. They show that identity-based predictors such as a religious background are vastly inferior to institutional factors, including a legislative role, representing a constituency with the significant proportion of minority population, and the length of parliamentary service, in determining such references.