In politics, representation describes how political power is given from a large group for a certain time period in the hands of a comparatively small group of its members. Representation usually refers to representative democracies, where elected officials (called representatives) nominally speak for their electors in the legislature. Generally, only citizens have representation in the government in the form of voting rights. The term representation can be used in a number of different ways. Representation can be understood in terms of how legislators represent their constituents.
Representation (politics)
Representation functions
The task of representation is to make a political association (e.g. the people of the state) capable of acting, willing and making decisions by forming governing bodies.
In a democracy, moreover, this task is only fulfilled if those acting (representatives) are not only authorised once, but in a constantly repeated and confirming manner. Democratic representation must thereby meet the requirements of two levels:
- Formal legal level: legitimation via a so-called legitimation chain
- Political-ethical level: the individuals of the represented political association must be able to identify with the actions of the representatives, they must "find themselves in it".
If these characteristics are fulfilled, one speaks of a representative democracy. It can be distinguished from participatory democracy and direct democracy, in which participation enables direct influence without representatives.
See also
- Representative system