- Wikipedia:
Political representation is the activity of making citizens "present" in public policy-making processes when political actors act in the best interest of citizens. This definition of political representation is consistent with a wide variety of views on what representing implies and what the duties of representatives are. For example, representing may imply acting on the expressed wishes of citizens, but it may alternatively imply acting according to what the representatives themselves judge is in the best interests of citizens. And representatives may be viewed as individuals who have been authorized to act on the behalf of others, or may alternatively be viewed as those who will be held to account by those they are representing. Political representation can happen along different units such as social groups and area, and there are different types of representation such as substantive representation and descriptive representation.
- Delegatory.
- Trustee.
- Politico.
- Demographic.
- Principal / Agent.
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Political representation, on almost any account, will exhibit the following five components:
- some party that is representing (the representative, an organization, movement, state agency, etc.);
- something that is being represented (opinions, perspectives, interests, discourses, etc.);
- a setting within which the activity of representation is taking place (the political context).
- something that is being left out (the opinions, interests, and perspectives not voiced).
