Working for a Member of Parliament: Understanding the Role of Political Staff in the Representation Process

This research project investigates the role of political staffers in Canada’s representative democracy. Working with the leading expert on political representation, Dr. Sarah Childs (University of Edinburgh), this project explores how political staffers contribute to the process of political representation. Political staff are the first, if not only, point of contact for constituents. This project investigates how political staff act as representational mediators —or gatekeepers—of Members of Parliament (MPs) for the public, and how political staffers communicate constituent concerns to the MPs. My previous research found that most political staff are women, therefore the current project focuses on the gendered dimensions of political staffers’ work. Overall, this project aims to improve our understanding of how parliament could be a more equitable workplace for staffers, which in turn will improve the representation process.

Faculty Supervisor:

Melanee Thomas

Student:

Partner:

University of Edinburgh

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Calgary

Program: