Representation Of A Representative Democracy

When looking how effectively a country represents its citizens, it is important to take into account the manner in which they are represented. The two main types of representation are descriptive and agency representation. Descriptive representation is the concept that those who represent the American people should not only have the same political interest, but should also mirror the demographic makeup of the people. Agency representation, which is what the United States congress looks like, is when the representation does not reflect the demographic, but they speak for their constituents’ interests in congress. The constituents are able to hold the representatives accountable and can choose not to elect them in the next term, so the representatives

Over the course of the Revolutionary War, the people of the colonies fought for freedom, liberty, and a fair government. They were pursuing a better society, and wanted a non-tyrannical administration. They needed their government to reflect this. The Constitution addressed and embodied the ideals and opinions of the people during the Revolutionary Era, which included a need for a representative democracy, checks and balances on the government, and a protection for the citizen’s rights.

Federalist 10: 1. Madison justifies his concerns by claiming that factions are inevitable yet dangerous. As a result he believes that their influence on government should be limited through a representative democracy where it is harder for factions to gain power. 2. 2 differences between a republic and a pure democracy are in a republic less people represent a larger population in the legislature compared to a democracy.

Jere a logical approach demands a fundamental understanding of the representative democracy that we have. We have a two party democracy, period. Not because other parties do not exist, but because our infrastructure will not allow those parties to govern. Our constitutional framework makes the ascension of a third party essentially impossible, which is why Sanders wisely ran for president as a Dem. Respectfully, a vote for a third party will not change a constitutional structure that supports 2 party government; moreover, only a change in HOW candidates are elected and popular votes are apportioned (particularly in federal and state legislative bodies) will change that. With that understanding, we have an inexperienced candidate who is threatening

The article by Karen Bird examines representation in representative democracy in the perspectives of minorities in the urban and diverse greater Toronto area. Bird used focus group interviews to study the views of three visible minorities about representation which are communities of black, South Asian, and Chinese Canadians. Also, Bird examined how visible minority communities think about political actors as well as visible minority communities’ evaluation of the claims by political actors to represent them and the concerns citizens raise against the political actors. In order to reach a conclusion, Bird conducts nine focus group interviews with ethno-racial minority living in the greater Toronto area in the following division: three black

America was founded on the basic principle of democracy…right? Isn’t that the freedom we were searching for when the voyagers left Europe to form the US in the first place? The irony in this is that we are often taught to believe that the United States uses a true democracy. Over the years the United States has contradicted many of their basic ideologies and principles that we were founded on. For the most part, our Constitution has remained basically intact, other than minor exceptions here and there. However, our founding documents are extremely open ended and leave much room to change and interpret throughout time. Due to the flexibility of the United States founding documents the country practices a representative democracy rather

The British thought that the people in America should be happy with virtual representation which basically meant all of the members of the parliament represent the entire population, the British people argued that the colonists in America were represent the same way as people in Britain that don’t have any say during elections. American colonists believed in actual representation which meant they wanted people from the colonies to actually have seats in the parliament, and because this wasn’t going to happen they believed they should only be represented and taxed by people known and chosen by themselves who served on their legislatures.

For the past two centuries, America’s constitution has been the centerpiece of our politics, academia, and philosophy. Yet, the pillar (America’s constitution) that has maintained our nation for over 200 years has fallen short of ensuring the main differentiating aspect of our country for which we jubilate: representative democracy.

In a large political body where the possibility of assembling all people or collecting their input individually, there is no option apart from the selection of representatives who make decisions on behalf of people they represent.

Representation is when elected officials nominally speak for their constituents in the legislature. Equality is defined as the state of being equal. especially in regards to a person’s status, their rights as citizens, and the opportunities given to them. In American society, every citizen is supposed to be given equal rights and opportunities by the politicians they chose to represent them in the country’s government. One issue that I believe to be viewed and discussed by many people in our society is whether the United States government represents its citizens equally or unequally in society. Throughout the semester, we have talked about many different authors’ views and opinions that address this specific issue. Each reading we have read was written in relation to the societies and time periods in which the authors lived, but can all be tied together to address the issue in the United States today. There are also many of examples in our society today, that can show us the lack of equality amongst the citizens in the United States.

The article Rethinking Representation, written by Jane Mansbridge, explains how there are three different forms of representation apart from the traditional idea of “promissory” representation. Promissory representation is the traditional model of representation. It focuses on the idea that during a representative’s campaign they make promises to their constituents. During the representative’s time in office, these promises are either kept or not fulfilled. As Mansbridge notes, within the last 20 years there has been three new forms of representation, they are anticipatory, gyroscopic, and surrogate representation.

Moreover, when representatives are on the process of elections they have the opportunity to express their goals and solutions for the needs of the society. This freedom of expression is democracy. Possible representatives have time before elections to do campaigns and debate each other ideas and goals, this help people decide which candidate best represent their ideas way of thinking.

The large numbers of tiers, which make up the British democratic system, also shows the level of democracy. Voting is used to elect local councillors and members of parliament. This form of representative democracy allows the electorates view to be voiced on a range of issues from local and national, the constituent also has the power to communicate with their MP to help them make well-informed decisions with regard their constituent’s opinion.

In “Political Representation,” Shapiro et al. (2009) say that “political representation lies at the core of modern politics.” Representation is usually linked to the concept of democracy (Shapiro et al. 2009). The concept of representation is explicitly mentioned in the U.S. Constitution (U.S. Const. art. I, § 1, 2). However, the meaning and appropriate form of “representation” have been debated by political theorists and philosophers for centuries. The definition of representation one chooses to use is influenced by the form of representation one finds most appropriate. Given the different forms of representation, legislators can be responsive in different ways. Representation also operates at two different levels – the national and local

It is not merely that different voting systems count votes differently, but that different voting-system arrangements alter the incentives that voters and parties face to do certain things: to vote for one party over another, to try to appeal to one group of voters over another, and so on (Pilon 12)6.