Representation and the Governing Process: A Study in The Republican Theory of Government
Abstract
"Representative government" refers to the substance of government
actions, when the term is taken in its fullest sense. Representation
theory needs to be concerned with the policy outputs of the government
if it is to provide us with some guidelines by which we may classify
governments. What end is served in terms of providing an understanding
of the governing process if representation theory only deals
with the question of electorally-based responsibility in government.
Such an analysis neglects the greater portion of the government! What
of the administration? What of the judicial branch?
If representation theory is only concerned with the manner in which
elected officials are elected, and with the manner in which they are
held responsible, without dealing with the substantive issue of policy
making, then all that we may learn is that the people of a state had a
hand in their own fate.
This paper attempts to examine the concept of representation in the broader context of the governing process. Only through such an
approach as this do I believe that one can fully appreciate the intricacies
of the republican theory of government.
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