ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the social characteristics and political backgrounds of those candidates who were successful on 6 June 1997. It focuses on "social representation" and examines the extent to which the members of the twenty-eighth Dail reflect the society from which they are drawn. Such a focus can be justified for two reasons. The first is symbolic: Unless certain minority or underprivileged groups are represented, a parliament's status as a democratic body may be undermined. The second reason is more practical and makes the point that the underrepresentation of certain social groups substantively alters the issues raised, stances taken, and policies implemented in parliament. Many of those who subscribe to the idea of social representation would be deeply unhappy with the composition of the twenty-eighth Dail. Empirical investigations of the relationship between social characteristics and legislative performance have found gender to be more salient than class, age, or education.
