Selene Campion

Selene Campion is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Utah. Her research examines political behavior and political economy in advanced democracies, with a focus on distributive politics, inequality, and political representation in urban contexts. She also conducts research on non-programmatic politics in advanced democracies, including clientelism and patronage.

The project

Title: Ties That Bind: Minority Representation and Redistribution in Western Europe

"In recent years, debates around representation, redistribution, and the legitimacy of democratic institutions have intensified across Europe. As immigrant-origin communities become more visible in elected office, questions arise about whom these politicians represent, what shapes their priorities, and how their presence affects the allocation of public goods. My book project, “Ties That Bind: Minority Representation and Redistribution in Western Europe” investigates these questions through a close analysis of how formal institutions and informal social structures jointly shape the responsiveness of minority representatives to their co-ethnic constituents. Rather than assuming a linear link between descriptive and substantive representation, the project explores how kinship ties, neighborhood-based networks, and institutional constraints condition the redistributive behavior of elected officials—particularly in cities marked by residential segregation and political marginalization. This book manuscript develops a theory of how formal institutional rules and informal social ties interact to shape the redistributive strategies of minority elected officials in France. As immigrant-origin politicians gain visibility within local governments, new tensions have emerged around the boundaries of representation and political accountability."

Hosting institution: Sciences Po

Selective Bibliography

• Selene Campion. (2023). The Segregation Effect: How Residential Isolation Shapes Ethnic Minority Representation in England. British Journal of Political Science, 53(3), 1081-1091.