January 2026| Norwegian National Conference in Political Science

At the 2026 Norwegian National Conference in Political Science, Ragnhild Muriaas and Elisa A. Hommeland each presented work in progress.

Ragnhild Muriaas presented the paper “Framing Women’s Underrepresentation: The Role of Awareness and Democratic Justifications in Support for Positive Action Measures” (co-authored with Hilde Coffé and Elisa A. Hommeland). The paper explores why citizens support, or oppose, gender quotas and other positive action measures. Rather than assuming that public backing hinges on elaborate moral or democratic arguments, the study asks whether simply drawing attention to women’s underrepresentation is enough to generate support.

Ragnhild Muriaas giving comments during political behavior panel at the national conference in political science in Trondheim 2026. Photo by: Gjøri Marie Haugen, ESS Norge

Elisa A. Hommeland presented “Beyond Entry: Affirmative Action and Parliamentary Seniority in Senegal, South Africa, Malawi, and Uganda” (co-authored with Vibeke Wang and Ragnhild Muriaas). This paper shifts the focus from women’s entry into politics to what happens after they are elected. Examining four African countries with different affirmative action measures, the study investigates whether such measures help women secure reelection and accumulate seniority, or whether they instead result in frequent turnover.