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The politics of fit : the genesis of candidacy in a suburban municipality

University of British Columbia

In a democratic society, there is an assumption that any individual with the will and the means can become a candidate in an election, especially at the local level of governance. However, in a municipal election, those candidates that have the means or access to means (financial support and volunteers) are usually those endorsed by a civic party. Party executives and municipal politicians actively seek potential candidates who "fit." The research into what the political elite in the municipality of Delta mean by fit indicates that it is a gloss to naturalize a process by which the political elite perpetuates their ideology by carefully choosing their candidates. The politics of fit, therefore, is a phrase coined to describe the recruitment strategies employed to give these potential candidates a higher community profile and while potentially limiting political access by those who do not "fit."

Text

2010-01-08

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/17740

Anthropology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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