Definition of Political Incorporation

Political incorporation examines a group's place in the political process.

Broadly, political incorporation is a concept that measures the extent to which a group, particularly a minority or immigrant group, has integrated itself into a political structure. The more involved a group is, the more politically incorporated it is said to be.

Voting

When assessing a community's level of political incorporation, many political scientists would ask how many in the community are registered, active voters. Voting power, however, is only one aspect of political incorporation.

Representation

If a community of Mexican immigrants is represented by one or more Hispanic city council members in the town where they live, or Asian immigrants are represented by a Congressperson of Korean origin, these communities have achieved a type of political incorporation.

Coalitions

A 1986 paper published by Rufus P. Browning, Dale Rogers Marshall and David H. Tabb stated that a minority group's place in a governing coalition, rather than strict representation, was an effective measure of political incorporation.

Outcomes

Rather than look at voting data, some researchers ask: How beneficial are a government's outcomes for a particular community? This standard measures progress not by numbers, but by a group's overall ability to affect positive change.

Official Support

Those who study political incorporation also examine how it is aided by political party or government programs--how the powers that be reach out to minorities to bring them into the fold.

References

• "The Politics of Democratic Inclusion"; Christina Wolbrecht, Rodney E. Hero
• AllAcademic: Local Organizations and the Political Incorporation of Immigrants
• JStore: Protest Is Not Enough: A Theory of Political Incorporation