Cecilia Josefsson Receives the 2025 Victoria Schuck Award for “Defending the Status Quo: On Adaptive Resistance to Electoral Gender Quotas” – Political Science Now

Report on Research Advancing Sustainable Development Goals in Political Science

Victoria Schuck Award Recognizes Study on Gender Equality in Political Institutions

The American Political Science Association (APSA) has awarded the Victoria Schuck Award to Dr. Cecilia Josefsson for her book, Defending the Status Quo: On Adaptive Resistance to Electoral Gender Quotas. The research provides a significant contribution to understanding the challenges of implementing policies aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those concerning gender equality and institutional strength.

Analysis of Research Contributions to Sustainable Development Goals

Contribution to SDG 5: Gender Equality

The book directly addresses the objectives of SDG 5 (Gender Equality) by examining the mechanisms of resistance to women’s political participation.

• Target 5.5 (Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership): The research investigates the failure of electoral gender quotas, a key policy tool for achieving this target.
• It moves beyond analyzing contextual factors to focus on the deliberate agency and adaptive strategies of political elites who defend the status quo.
• The study introduces a “resistance stage framework,” a new theoretical tool for identifying and countering opposition to gender-inclusive reforms in political institutions.

Contribution to SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Dr. Josefsson’s work provides critical insights into the development of effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions as mandated by SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

1. Target 16.7 (Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making): The book details the dynamics of conflict between quota advocates and their opponents, offering practical knowledge on how to achieve gendered institutional change against persistent resistance.
2. Target 16.6 (Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions): By analyzing how status quo defenders operate at both the adoption and implementation stages of reform, the research illuminates the hidden barriers to making institutions more equitable and transparent.

Methodology and Empirical Findings

The research employs a robust qualitative methodology to analyze the complexities of institutional reform.

• Theoretical Framework: The study is grounded in feminist institutionalism, offering a unique perspective on power dynamics within political structures.
• Case Study: A detailed historical analysis of quota reform attempts in Uruguay serves as the empirical foundation. This case is a valuable resource for understanding prolonged conflict over gender equality policies.
• Data Sources:
  • Elite interviews with key actors in Uruguayan politics.
  • Process tracing of parliamentary debate transcripts.

Researcher Profile and Broader Impact

Dr. Cecilia Josefsson

Dr. Josefsson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Government at Uppsala University, Sweden. Her research portfolio demonstrates a sustained commitment to advancing the principles of the SDGs.

• Research Focus: Her work investigates the intersection of gender and politics, political institutions, and democratic representation, with a focus on how formal and informal institutions shape women’s political inclusion.
• Global Context: Her research spans diverse regions, including Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Scandinavia, enhancing the global applicability of her findings.
• Engagement: Dr. Josefsson is actively involved in promoting gender equality in the Swedish parliament and academia, translating scholarly research into practical action.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • The article is centered on a book about “women and politics,” specifically addressing “electoral gender quotas” and “gender-equal reforms.” The research described investigates “how formal and informal institutions shape women’s political inclusion” and the “resistance to gender-equal reforms,” which are core issues of SDG 5.
2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • The article discusses the strengthening of political institutions to be more inclusive and representative. It mentions “democratic representation,” “legislative processes,” and “parliamentary debates” in the context of gender equality. The book’s analysis of “gendered institutional change” directly relates to building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels, a key objective of SDG 16.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
   • The article’s entire focus is on this target. The book it describes, “Defending the Status Quo: On Adaptive Resistance to Electoral Gender Quotas,” analyzes the primary mechanism used to achieve this target: legislative quotas. The research on “women’s political inclusion” and the dynamics of “quota adoption and implementation” is a direct examination of the challenges in meeting Target 5.5.
2. Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
   • The article highlights the book’s contribution to understanding “democratic representation” and “gendered institutional change.” The study of “quota reform attempts and successes in Uruguay” and the analysis of “parliamentary debates” are case studies of efforts to make decision-making bodies more representative and inclusive, which is the essence of Target 16.7.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicator 5.5.1: Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments.
   • This indicator is strongly implied. The article discusses “electoral gender quotas” and “legislative gender quotas,” which are policies designed to directly change this specific proportion. The book’s analysis of “quota failure” and “implementation” suggests that the measurement of success or failure is based on whether the proportion of women in parliament increased, which is what Indicator 5.5.1 tracks.
2. Indicator 16.7.1: Proportions of positions (by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups) in public institutions (national and local legislatures, public service, and judiciary) compared to national distributions.
   • This indicator is also implied by the article’s focus on gender representation in political institutions. The discussion of “gender quotas in Uruguay” and “women’s political inclusion” in “legislative processes” directly relates to measuring the proportion of positions held by women in national legislatures. The goal of the reforms discussed is to alter the statistics that this indicator measures, making the institution more representative of the population’s gender distribution.

4. SDGs, Targets and Indicators Table

Source: politicalsciencenow.com