Representative Democracy Legislators and their Constituents

Although we tend to use the terms representative democracy and democracy as synonyms, they are not. Democracy means that the people govern; representative democracy means that the people elect others to govern for them. This raises the question of the extent to which representative government approximates democracy, a question that turns on the relationship between representatives and those whom they represent. Rich in thoughtful analysis, Representative Democracy incorporates normative, empirical and comparative perspectives on representation. It is perfectly suited for use in an upper-level course on the legislative process or Congress.

Michael L. Mezey is professor of political science at DePoul University in Chicago.