Do Denizens Represent Denizens? A Case of Foreigners’ Council in Frankfurt

Abstract

This article fills a gap in existing research by focusing on the political representation of denizens—legal residents not holding citizenship of the country and thus generally excluded from legislative politics. The empirical research on the effects of the presence of under-represented groups in representative bodies indicates that “who represents” (descriptive) is as important as “what is being represented” (substantive). In this article, we analyze the extent to which an elected body of denizens (KAV) in the German city of Frankfurt provides a descriptive and substantive representation. We find that in Frankfurt, the body elected by denizens to represent denizens does not represent denizens. In providing inference about the descriptive and substantive representation of denizens in KAV, our research contributes to broadening the study of representation by focusing on an understudied group, non-traditional venues, and claim-making as a form of representative politics.