The Principles of Representative Government

Bernard Manin

Cambridge University Press, Feb 28, 1997 - Political Science - 243 pages

The thesis of this original and provocative book is that representative government should be understood as a combination of democratic and undemocratic, aristocratic elements. Professor Manin challenges the conventional view that representative democracy is no more than an indirect form of government by the people, in which citizens elect representatives only because they cannot assemble and govern in person. The argument is developed by examining the historical moments when the present institutional arrangements were chosen from among the then available alternatives. Professor Manin reminds us that while today representative institutions and democracy appear as virtually indistinguishable, when representative government was first established in Europe and America, it was designed in opposition to democracy proper. Drawing on the procedures used in earlier republican systems, from classical Athens to Renaissance Florence, in order to highlight the alternatives that were forsaken, Manin brings to the fore the generally overlooked results of representative mechanisms. These include the elitist aspect of elections and the non-binding character of campaign promises.

Contents

• Direct democracy and representation selection of officials in Athens: 8
• The triumph of election: 42
• the lessons of history: 44
• The political theory of election and lot in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: 67
• consenting to power rather than holding office: 79
• The principle of distinction: 94
• England: 95
• France: 98
• The United States: 102
• A democratic aristocracy: 132
• a pure theory: 134
• the benefits of ambiguity: 149
• Election and the principles of modern natural right: 156
• The verdict of the people: 161
• Partial independence of representatives: 163
• Freedom of public opinion: 167
• The repeated character of elections: 175
• Trial by discussion: 183
• Metamorphoses of representative government: 193
• Parliamentarianism: 202
• Party democracy: 206
• Audience democracy: 218
• Conclusion: 236
• Index: 239

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Principles of Representative Government; Themes in the Social Sciences
• Author: Bernard Manin
• Editors: Jack Goody, Geoffrey Hawthorn
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1997
• ISBN: 0521458919, 9780521458917
• Length: 243 pages
• Subjects: Political Science / History & Theory; Political Science / Political Process / Leadership