Reproducing white normativity in parties' candidate recruitment: Evidence from the 2017 Finnish municipal elections

Abstract

This study approaches the underrepresentation of ethnic and migrant minorities (EMMs) in political assemblies from the perspective of candidate recruitment and examines how white normativity as an ideal shapes the recruitment process. The article draws on empirical interview data from the 2017 Finnish municipal elections. Through a qualitative analysis of parties' recruiting agents' (n = 24) and EMM candidates' (n = 12) interviews, the article provides nuanced insights into the informal aspects of candidate recruitment and more perspectives into the discussions of ‘ideal’ and ‘acceptable’ candidates. The analysis identifies four discursive strategies that the parties use to describe their (lack of) efforts to recruit EMM candidates. The analysis of these strategies deepens the analytical understanding of the persistent underrepresentation of EMMs in candidate lists by explaining how recruitment is shaped by white normativity.