University of Tokyo: Assembly Size, Electoral Accountability, and Descriptive Representation

I presented a new project, Assembly Size, Electoral Accountability, and Descriptive Representation, at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate Schools for Law and Politics, hosted by Kentaro Fukumoto. Accountability and representation are usually framed as a trade-off between electoral systems. Using the population thresholds that set the size of Japan’s municipal assemblies, I show that larger assemblies produce both more contested races and more young and female challengers: the same institutional lever moves both. Thank you to Kentaro for hosting and to everyone who joined for the sharp questions.