How representative is rep democracy? what challenge they face. How liberal are lib. democracies?

What is representation in rep dem?

1. someone has the right to decide for B (by authorization)
2. Decision maker A is similar to B (descriptive representation), how similar the person is to the people represented.
3. A is deciding in the interest of B
   1. A decides as B wants (popular will)
   2. A decides wisely for B (deliberation/common good)
   3. A decides with respect for B’s rights (respect for rights)

Urbinati describes classical democracy.

Ancient democracy, law making not made by elected representatives. Courts were appointed by lot.

Origins of representation:

practices of legal rep (diplomats, contracts) the representative is a delegate, authorized to represent -stand for- another’s interests in accordance with instructions.

Medieval institutions (Church, assemblies of estates) performed representative funcions, but where not democratic.

Rep. had no connection with democracy.

Rep. Dem. is a political invention, a combination of classical democracy and medieval representative institutions.

Early examples, US consti, french revolution, Bentham and Mill.

Required a transformation and settlement of what representation should mean.

The representative is not a delegate. The mandate of the representative is independent, authorised to represent others but not bound by them.

“Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment, and he betrays insead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion. Edmund Burke, letters to the sheriffs of Briston, 1777.

Problem with Rep Dem:

Elections are non egalitarian. Elections are aristocratic, not democratic (Montesquieu)

Popular sovereignty: the people should have the power to determine the constitution and politics. But in a rep. democracy, the representatives, not the people, determines both fundamental laws and policy (Rousseau’s critique of England “it’s our house!” Capitolium rioters 6/1)

What are the virtues of Rep Dem (Urbinati)

Makes possible representation of everyone, not just the constitutency (not possible with delegates)

Makes possible laws that are general and apply to all equally. More consistent with ideals of rule of law -harder with delegates-

makes possible community of ideas/ideology between the people and representatives that curtails the autonomy of the latter.

Modern rep dem includes features -pol. parties, representation, and deliberation.

Representation, how democratic?

Ideal type, procedural definition of Democracy . Ross’s criteria for the democratic factor:

-Effectiveness: the extent of popular involvement in public decision making -direct and frequent. Rep dem is not very effective

-Extension: the extent of govt under popular control. rep dem. has considerable extension but incomplete. constitution, the judiciary, central banks, the EU

-Intensity: the extent of the people that is entitled to participate in public decision making.

“Accordingly, the topographic diagram of political democracy can be thus defined : The ideal type is the form of government in which the political functions are exercised by the people with maximum intensity, effectiveness, and extensiveness in the parliamentary manner. In these three respects the type tends, respectively, toward moderate, nominal, and partial democracy.”