A Study of Representation Applied to the Local Government Level
Abstract
Representative democracy is no different from any other political
system ever devised in that it does not always function as neatly in
reality as it does on paper. Many times, individuals feel as if they are
not holding the ultimate source of power, but rather that they are being
governed by a small segment of the population. They feel as if they have
no control over government policy making once their representative has
been elected to office. My
original purpose in writing this paper was to be able to show these people
that, first of all, they could gain more control over their representatives,
and second, in what ways they could best achieve their goal.
This paper attempts to illustrate the validity of these two claims in
the following manner. Chapter one examines the term representative government
and how various theorists define the goals of such a system. It
also examines the two ways in which representatives try to do their job.
There is the concept of the delegate and that of the trustee. Which
role the representative chooses to play influences the types of decisions
that will come out of the legislative process. Also in this chapter,
it is pointed out that the behavior of the constituency is a major factor
which the representative must take into account as he decides which role
he will try to fill.
Chapter two discusses the role of linkage mechanisms in providing responsive
government. It describes the two basic categories of linkages,
coercive and non-coercive, and emphasizes the importance of the representative's
perception as the path through which all demands must pass
before they will have any effect on the representative's role call behavior.
Finally it presents the various linkages through which the public
can communicate their demands to the representatives. Some of
these linkages are more effective than others, and some are more appropriate
for different groups of people. It is through these linkages
that the representative forms his perceptions of the constituency.
Finally, the theories of chapters one and two are applied specifically
to the local government level. If you are not a current K College student, faculty, or staff member, email dspace@kzoo.edu to request access to this SIP.