Descriptive representation
Representation by people who resemble those they represent in shared characteristics such as gender, class, ethnicity, region or experience, as distinct from acting in their interests (substantive representation).
In more detail
Hanna Pitkin (1967) treated descriptive representation as standing for rather than acting for others, and doubted its value. Anne Phillips's The Politics of Presence (1995) and Jane Mansbridge (1999) defended it in contexts of distrust, uncrystallised interests and historical exclusion. Mechanisms include quotas, reserved seats, proportional representation and stratified random selection in citizens' assemblies. Critics warn that it can assume homogeneous group interests and fix identities. Evidence from India's randomly assigned reservations for women suggests that who holds office can change policy priorities.