Measuring Inclusion in Political Life: A Framework for Analysis

Abstract

Power-sharing, which purports to be an inclusive form of governance, has become an increasingly common mechanism for managing identity-based conflict. Yet, critics have claimed that such arrangements prioritize conflict-related issues and, as a result, marginalize identities not associated with the conflict. How ought inclusion be measured? Extending an analytical framework first developed by Yvonne Galligan and Sara Clavero to measure gender democracy in Europe, this article compares the extent of inclusion of women and minority ethnic identities in the Kosovo Assembly, which has institutional mechanisms guaranteeing the representation of both of those identities, and the Northern Ireland Assembly, which does not.