Political Representation

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Political Representation

• Fabiana Sacchetti
• Course of Political Science ( Prof. L.Bardi )
• Phd Program in Political Systems and
  Institutional Change XXIII Cycle
• IMT Lucca
• A.Y. 2007/2008

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The concept of Political Representation

• Complexity and multidimensionality
• Democratic Political Representation
• ( Regime Representative Democracy )
• ( Institutions Parliaments )

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Basic definitions

• Key elements relationship between a principal
  (represented) and an agent (representative)
  object represented (opinions, interests ...)
  setting within it takes place (political context)
• Institutionalised system of political
  responsibility,realised through the free
  electoral designation of certain fundamental
  political organisms ( mainly Parliaments )
• (M. Cotta, 2002)

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Different views of Representation(Hanna Pitkin
The Concept of Representation, 1967)
1) Formalistic Representation 1 a) Authorization (Conferral of authority, Alienation) Means by which the representative obtains his status 2 a) Accountability (Responsibility, Procedural dimension) Responsiveness of representatives to the constituents / Ability of constituents to punish their representatives
2) Substantive Representaton Content of the actions of the representative taken in the interest of the represented
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3) Descriptive Representation Representation as a mirror, as accurate resemblance of the represented Reproduction of the characteristics of the represented (selection of the characteristics gender, status, ethnicity, professional condition, etc.)
4) Symbolic Representaton Ways that the representative stands for the representated Meaning that a representative has for the represented ( presidents, flags, hymns, buildings, etc.)
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Types of Legislative Representation(Loewenberg
and Patterson Comparing Legislatures, 1979)

• Foci of Representation
• ( Who - The kind of constituency the
  representatives think they represent )
• 1. Geographic Constituencies
• 2. Party Constituencies
• 3. Other Constituencies (ethnic groups, social
  classes, genders, interest groups ...)

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• Styles of Representation
• ( How The way the representative responds to
  the represented )
• 1. Delegate ( follows the expressed
  preferences of the constituents )
• 2. Trustee ( follow his own judgements )
• (Burke Parliament is not a Congress but a
  Deliberative Assembly)
• 3. Politico ( fits his style of representation
  to the political circumstances he find himself)

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• Components of Responsiveness
• ( What The kind of expectations the
  representatives respond to )
• 1. Policy Responsiveness
• 2. Service Responsiveness
• 3. Public good Responsiveness
• 4. Symbolic Responsiveness

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Dyadic and Collective Representation(R.
Weissberg, Collective vs Dyadic Representation
in Congress, 1978)

• Dyadic Representation
• One-to-one relationship between a legislator and
  its constituency
• Collective Representation
• The extent to which institutions as a whole /
  collectively represent a people
• ( gt Burkes Virtual Representation )

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• Collective representation is not a substitute to
  Dyadic representation but exists in addition to
  it
• ( Citizen preferences can be represented
  collectively even if particular legislators
  ignore their constituency or betray their
  expectations )
• It can explain the lack of citizen concern and
  involvment in legislative elections, and their
  willingness to tolerate unresponsive legislators

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Changing political realities and changing
concepts of representation

• International and domestic political
  transformations international, transnational and
  non-governamental actors, as well as social
  movements, interest groups and civic
  associations, play important role in advancing
  public policies in behalf of citizen, acting as
  representatives of them
• Focus on authorization and accountability within
  nation states and on formal representation is no
  longer satisfactory

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Revisiting Democratic Representation some
contributions

• J.Mansbridge Rethinking Representation
• ( American Political Science Review 2003 )
• N. Urbinati Representation as Advocacy
  a study of Democratic Deliberation
• ( Political Theory, 2000 )
• I.M.Young Inclusion and Democracy
• ( Oxford University Press, 2000 )

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• Rethinking Representation
• ( J. Mansbridge, 2003 )
• Multiple forms of representation in modern
  democracies

1. Promissory Representatives focus on what they promised to do during the last electoral campaign V t1 ? R t2 (Traditional model)
2. Anticipatory Representatives focus on what they think constituents will approve in the next election R t2 ? V t3 (Retrospective Voting) Education or Manipulation of the voter
3. Gyroscopic Representative looks within his own background to derive interests and principles V t1 ? System t2
4. Surrogative Representative represent constituents outside his distric, party, etc. (collective representation, virtual representation) Monetary Surrogacy / Pure Surrogacy
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• Representation as Advocacy
• ( N. Urbinati, 2000 )
• Not the aggregation of interests but the
  preservation of disagreements necessary for
  granting liberty
• Not focusing on formal procedures of
  deliberation at the expense of examining
  sources of inequality within civil society
• Importance of the domain of opinion and consent
  formation

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• Inclusion and Democracy
• ( I. M. Young, 2000 )
• Representation should not be a relation of
  identity but a differentiated relationship the
  legitimacy of a representative is not primarly
  a function of his similarity to the represented
• Recognizing how representative institutions
  include as well as they exclude
• Democratic representation as a dynamic process

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Bibliography

• Cotta M., Della Porta D., Morlino L. Scienza
  Politica
• (Il Mulino, Bologna, 2002)
• Burke E. Speech to the Electors of Bristol (3
  Nov 1774)
• Loewenberg G. and Patterson S.G. Comparing
  Legislatures
• (Little, Brown Co., Boston,1979)
• Mansbridge J. Rethinking Representation
• (The American Political Science Review, 2003)
• Pitkin H. The Concept of Representation
• (University of California Press, Berkeley,1967)
• Urbinati N. Representation as Advocacy a study
  of Democratic Deliberation (Political Theory,
  2000)
• Young I.M. Inclusion and Democracy
• (Oxford University Press, New York, 2000)
• Weissberg R. Collective vs Dyadic Representation
  in Congress
• (The American Political Science Review 1978)