Representative Democracy

Democracy means rule by the demos—or people—as opposed to rule by the one (monarchy), rule by the few (oligarchy, aristocracy), or by the skilled (technocracy, meritocracy). The democratic principle is that individuals have the right to control their own lives. Any other form resulting in rule by the few over the many requires some degree of oppression.

Direct democracy involves citizens participating directly and equally in collective decisions. However, large numbers of people involved in decision making is cumbersome, if not impossible. Likewise the complexity of modern government is beyond the reach of most citizens. Representative democracy resolves the problems of size and expertise.

The challenge for representative democracy is to construct a participative policy process that integrates the diverse preferences of the population. One perspective of representation asserts that representatives must “mirror” the preferences of citizens. An alternative perspective (sometimes known as “agency theory”) is that elected representatives make decisions in the “best” interest of the collective, regardless of citizen preferences. Government structures and institutions may support either perspective.

Representation is more challenging with a diverse citizenry. A homogenous group that shares interests, preferences, and beliefs may be represented by a small number of like-minded people. A diverse group must have a way to integrate a variety of perspectives if its decision making is to be representative.

Institutional structures affect representation. They can favor elites, organized groups, large parties, and [Page 828]status quo powers, or they can encourage minority representation and new power configurations. This entry explores how governments may be structured to achieve representative democracy. It examines government structure, election foundations, representative selection systems, terms of office, legislative decision rules, and other factors affecting representation.