The Colors of Legislative Performance: Skin Tone and Effective Lawmaking in Mexico

Recent research from the United States demonstrates lawmakers are marginalized in the legislative process based on ethno-demographic characteristics such as gender, race, and complexion. Is this theoretical explanation generalizable to different country contexts? Examining data from the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, we assess how skin color affects access to leadership and legislative effectiveness—controlling for relevant variables, including sex, education, and experience. Our results confirm that lighter-skinned deputies have greater access to Chamber leadership and are more effective than darker-skinned legislators. However, our results also indicate the lower legislative effectiveness of darker-skinned legislators can be partially explained by a lack of access to leadership. These findings suggest that traditional mechanisms of inclusion (i.e. quotas or reserved seats) are not enough to redress political underrepresentation, as their positive effect on substantive representation is hindered by the obstacles dark-skinned legislators face once in office.