ABSTRACT
Several social and economic factors determine an MP’s motivation and ability to accomplish their functions; correspondingly, similar factors such as gender, education, age, income and occupation affect the public’s awareness of representative democracy, their perceptions towards the existing representative institutions and their interaction with them. This chapter explores these factors based on household surveys conducted in three locations - two of the most populous regions (Oromia and Amhara) and one region largely composed of zones of numerically, geographically and economically peripheral communities (West Omo, in Benč-Shenko Zone). A quantitative survey was also conducted among the MPs towards the end of 2020. These quantitative survey results are completed through interviews with different stakeholders including MPs and the electorate. The chapter especially dedicates a section to discuss the experiences of women parliamentarians; it brings to light a complex set of factors including tradition, family size, income and facility. A closer look at each of these factors illuminates the gendered dimension of representation and participation revealing how MP-Constituency relations can be shaped by everyday realities of gender relations.
