INSTITUTIONAL VARIABLES AFFECTING FEMALE REPRESENTATION IN NATIONAL LEGISLATURES - THE CASE OF NORWAY

A controversy exists over whether district magnitude, the number of se ats per district, has a positive effect on female representation. This study considers district magnitude's effect on female representation in Norway over a 40-year period. The data analysis finds that party ma gnitude, the size of a party's district delegation, is a more powerful explanatory factor than district magnitude. Party magnitude's effect appears to follow a cycle. Prior to demands for representation being r aised, party magnitude has little effect. As women mobilize and repres entation demands are raised party magnitude plays a significant role, but once women are firmly entrenched as powerful players in party poli tics, party magnitude's effect decreases. This formulation is consiste nt with the Norwegian findings and also explains why previous cross-se ctional research has produced inconsistent findings. In addition, the crucial role that candidate nomination processes play in explaining th e high levels of representation found in Norway is described.