Research Handbook on Political Representation (Elgar Handbooks in Political Science)

"At a time when political representation can be said to be facing its ultimate crisis, this crucial work clarifies the terms of the debate, providing an up-to-date analysis of the main conceptual and institutional controversies that have arisen surrounding this topic. Written by leading scholars in the field, contributions focus on how representation is conceptualised and its relation to democracy, examining how political institutions in different historical periods (ranging from the middle ages to the modern day) have ensured representation based on demands of various social forces. This Research Handbook also encapsulates the directions taken by the main strands of empirical research in political representation within the context of liberal democracies and beyond. Overall, this provides a major contribution to the growing understanding of one of the most important institutional inventions of contemporary politics. The Research Handbook on Political Representation is a comprehensive and agile guide to the main bodies of literature on representation for academic researchers in political science, sociology and history. It will also guide post-graduate and graduate students of the same fields in the exploration of the crucial research questions arising from the concept and reality of political representation"-- Provided by publisher Front Matter 1 Copyright 4 Contents 5 Contributors 7 General introduction to the Research Handbook on Political Representation 11 SECTION I CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL DISCUSSIONS 17 1. Political representation: concepts, theories and practices in historical perspective 19 2. The system of democratic representation and its normative principles 32 3. Democracy and representation 52 4. Policy responsiveness and democratic quality 64 5. Legitimacy and hegemony: two accounts of non-electoral representation 74 6. Challenges to political representation: participatory democracy, direct democracy and populism 86 SECTION II HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY MODELS OF POLITICAL REPRESENTATION 97 7. From estate representation to the representation of the people and the nation in the Age of Revolutions 100 8. Individualistic representation in the liberal century - and beyond 114 9. Party-based representation: the paradox of democracy 125 10. Corporatism and representation 137 11. Technocratic representation 151 12. Representation in authoritarian regimes 164 SECTION III THE INSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS OF REPRESENTATION 174 13. Electoral systems and representation 177 14. Territorial and multilevel representation 187 15. Local jurisdiction size and political representation 199 16. Electoral quotas and group representation 214 17. The political representation of women: a feminist institutionalist perspective 226 18. Ethnic minorities and representation 238 SECTION IV REPRESENTATION AT WORK: OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES 252 19. Types of democratic representative 255 20. Selecting representatives: methods and practices 269 21. Constituency service: incentives and consequences 282 22. Measuring representation: policy congruence 292 23. The fulfilment of election pledges 305 24. Interest groups and political representation 317 25. Responsiveness, the dynamic aspect of representation 330 26. What to expect when you are expecting: preferences for representation among voters and political elites 342 27. Representation and deliberation 354 Index 362 "At a time when political representation can be said to be facing its ultimate crisis, this crucial work clarifies the terms of the debate, providing an up-to-date analysis of the main conceptual and institutional controversies that have arisen surrounding this topic. Written by leading scholars in the field, contributions focus on how representation is conceptualised and its relation to democracy, examining how political institutions in different historical periods (ranging from the middle ages to the modern day) have ensured representation based on demands of various social forces. This Research Handbook also encapsulates the directions taken by the main strands of empirical research in political representation within the context of liberal democracies and beyond. Overall, this provides a major contribution to the growing understanding of one of the most important institutional inventions of contemporary politics. The Research Handbook on Political Representation is a comprehensive and agile guide to the main bodies of literature on representation for academic researchers in political science, sociology and history. It will also guide post-graduate and graduate students of the same fields in the exploration of the crucial research questions arising from the concept and reality of political representation"--Back cover At a time when political representation can be said to be facing its ultimate crisis, this crucial work clarifies the terms of the debate, providing an up-to date analysis of the main conceptual and institutional controversies that have arisen surrounding this topic. Written by leading scholars in the field, contributions focus on how representation is conceptualised and its relation to democracy.