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The Limits of Political Representation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 June 2016

HOWARD SCHWEBER
HOWARD SCHWEBER*
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin-Madison
*
Howard Schweber is Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison (schweber@polisci.wisc.edu).
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Abstract

A representation is always a selective and limited reproduction of the thing represented, an idea captured in the metaphor of a map. What is left out of a representation is as important as what is included. A specifically political conception of representation implies limits to the scope of that conception, the nature and character of the represented constituency, and the relationship between constituent and representative, irrespective of variations in institutional design and practice. The limits of political representation reflect normative commitments; consequently, a focus on those limits is central to an evaluation of representative practices. While it is important to look beyond familiar institutional forms, excessively inclusive descriptions of “representative,” “constituency,” or “representation” deprive those conceptions of their substantive content. The limits of political representation are not defects to be overcome by an ever-expanding definition of representation, they are an essential focus in the normative or empirical analysis of representative institutions and practices.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 110 , Issue 2 , May 2016 , pp. 382 - 396
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2016 

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