Quangos: political representation and women consumers of public services

Abstract

In the debate about accountability and control of quasi autonomous non-governmental organisations (quangos), which are increasingly responsible for public services, the issue of representativeness has not yet extended beyond consideration of improving the visibility of women and ethnic minorities in quango memberships. This paper considers the more complex nature of political representation, and argues for the need for a full and inclusive analysis of representativeness in relation to quangos.