Privileged Franchise and the Political Representation of Elites: Evidence From Denmark

Democratization, via franchise extension, can reduce traditional elite representation and power. We study whether autocratization similarly increases the representation of these elites. We use the case of Denmark from 1849 to 1915. A constitutional change in 1866 created a privileged franchise to the upper chamber of the parliament weighted towards the wealthy and rural areas, while leaving the electoral rules to the lower chamber unchanged. Using MP‐year level data, we apply a difference‐in‐difference approach to study whether this autocratizing reform increased the representation of Danish elites in the upper chamber relative to the lower chamber. We find that this reform indeed increased the share of traditional elites in the upper chamber of the parliament such as the nobility and landed estate owners, including those with political‐dynastic ties, and arguably therefore the nature of democratic representation in 19th century Denmark.