Estimating Peerage Effects: Aristocratic Connections and Political Careers since 1830

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To what extent does inherited social position continue to influence political selection and career progression in democratic systems? We address this question using a novel dataset that combines detailed information on the careers of British Members of Parliament with genealogical data from the British aristocracy, spanning nearly two centuries (1831–2023). We construct measures of aristocratic ancestry and embeddedness in aristocratic kinship networks based on individuals’ position at birth, and use them alongside information on education, profession, and political trajectories. These predetermined indicators of social origin are strongly associated with earlier entry into the House of Commons, implying an early-start advantage of around nine years, ceteris paribus. Aristocratic background also facilitates progression into the Cabinet, both directly and indirectly through longer parliamentary experience accumulated over the life cycle. However, the magnitude of this advantage is smaller for advancement to the Cabinet than for entry into Parliament. Connected MPs must spend approximately 2.5 additional years on the backbenches before being promoted. This suggests that, although more attractive at the selection stage, connected MPs are on average less effective or motivated legislators, possibly also because of the younger age and lower professional experience when they enter the parliament. Lower effectiveness is confirmed by the finding that they participate less actively in the work of Parliament, voting less frequently and contributing fewer speeches in debates than non-aristocratic MPs. Aristocratic career advantages declined gradually over the course of the twentieth century. We show that this decline was driven primarily by the reduced role of the aristocracy as a source of political personnel for the Conservative Party. Our findings illustrate the persistence of hereditary elites in elected office well after franchise extension, the curtailment of the House of Lords, and the opening of political competition.