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Lectures and conversations

Is Seniority an Asset? Politicians’ Perceptions of Experience in Candidate Selection Processes

Francesca Feo, postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Government, presents a study that draws on open-ended survey responses, investigating how different factors interact in shaping the attitudes toward seniority and newcomer status among elected representatives in Norway.

Francesca Feo is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Government. For this Tuesday seminar, she presents a study which investigates how political career stage, gender, and ideology interact in shaping elected representatives' attitudes toward seniority and newcomer selection. The survey experiment was fielded in the Norwegian Panel of Elected Representatives (PER), and the study is co-authored by Ida-Elise Seppola Asplund, a PhD candidate at the department, whom is also a part of the SUCCESS-project together with Francesca Feo.

Light lunch will be served, as first come, first served.

The event is hybrid, if you can not join us in the Corner room at Sofie Lindstrøms hus,

Welcome!

Abstract

Political experience has traditionally been regarded as an asset, often associated with greater influence and electoral success. Yet in a context shaped by anti-establishment sentiments and calls for political renewal, seniority may no longer confer clear advantages. While recent research points to the rising electoral appeal of young and inexperienced (particularly male) candidates, less is known about how politicians themselves perceive the value of seniority. This paper examines whether elected representatives view seniority as an advantage or disadvantage in party nomination processes and explores the factors shaping these perceptions.

The study draws on open-ended survey responses and a survey experiment embedded in the Norwegian Panel of Elected Representatives (PER). It investigates how political career stage, gender, and ideology interact in shaping attitudes toward seniority and newcomer status. By adopting an “internalist” perspective that centers politicians’ own interpretations, the analysis sheds light on meso- and individual-level dynamics influencing perceptions of candidate selection.

The findings reveal that while seniority is mostly perceived as advantageous, variations exists in connection to norms of appropriateness connected to party organizational cultures. 

Contact person

Anne Marthe Borgen