Why do minority groups deserve more political representation? A scoping review

ABSTRACT

Introduction:  Many contemporary democracies adopt measures to improve the political representation of minority groups. However, these institutional experiments often lack clarity regarding their theoretical underpinnings or normative foundations. To address this gap, this article systematizes the political theory literature that presents arguments in favor of minority political representation.

Materials and methods:  This study reports the findings of a scoping review that examined 219 articles published between 1990 and 2021. Our analysis identified the authors most engaged with this topic, their institutional affiliations, and the journals in which they most frequently published. Finally, we examined the ten most-cited articles in political theory on this subject.

Results:  Our bibliometric analysis revealed that the social profile of the authors consists mainly of white women based in the Global North, with a focus on gender-centered representation politics. A closer look reveals three main argumentative frameworks: a) the deliberation argument, b) the justice argument, and c) the political power argument. The first argues that the political representation of minority groups strengthens deliberative processes by diversifying participants in political debates and decision-making. The second asserts that such representation aligns principles of justice with the demands of marginalized groups. The third justifies it as a means of redistributing political power among groups, addressing the oppressive dynamics of representative democracy.

Discussion:  Our primary contribution lies in organizing the theoretical justifications for minority political representation through systematic literature review techniques, a methodology that remains underused in this field of research in Brazil. In this regard, the study serves as a guide for researchers interested in exploring this area.

Keywords
political theory; political representation; minority groups; underrepresentation of groups; scoping review