Book

Youth without Representation examines young adults’ absence as candidates and politicians around the world (co-authored with Daniel Stockemer). It came out with the University of Michigan Press in 2022.

It is selected by libraries for an open access initiative and is free to download for anyone.

Early reviews:

“In this important book, Stockemer and Sundström provide a multi-dimensional examination of young people’s representation in politics. Highlighting large discrepancies between the shares of youth in the population and among representatives, they develop the normative case for increasing youth participation, map cross-national variations, and identify key factors promoting youth access. With its impressive data and comparative insights, Youth without Representation sets the research agenda on this topic for years to come.”
—Mona Lena Krook, Rutgers University

“Structural gerontocracy is a widespread problem in many of the world’s parliaments. Where generational cleavages in values have grown, this pattern underrepresents the voices of the young on critical policy issues from climate change and youth unemployment to non-binary gender identities and gun control. How and why gerontocracies persist is a neglected topic. Stockemer and Sundström provide a fresh perspective and systematic evidence on this challenge facing the composition of democratic legislatures.”
—Pippa Norris, Harvard University

“Youth without Representation is a unique take on the issue of youth representation, making the case for their participation in parliaments and cabinets. This well-researched, data-driven study will make a significant contribution to our understanding of why young citizens are underrepresented in parliaments and cabinets around the world.”
—Holly Ann Garnett, Director of the Electoral Integrity Project

“This will be the most important book in its field and it will gain much attention among scholars of youth politics and especially youth political representation.”
—Devin K. Joshi, Singapore Management University