POLS 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Representative Democracy, Single-Issue Politics
15 Nov 2016
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How elections will introduce and inegalitarian factor in representative government = the distinction principle. Idea that representatives should be economically, socially, and morally superior to those they represent - wealthier, more talented, more virtuous than their electors. Britain - political culture dominated by deference and high costs of an election. Representative government remains a mixed regime - a democratic aristocracy - aristocratic nature of elections. Voters do not treat candidates in equal fashion. In a situation of choice, candidates must be distinguished. Human beings tend to give advantage to salience. We live in a mixed regime - invariably leads to the designation of people who are perceived to be superior to those who elect them. Impossible for elections to designate representatives who resemble fellow citizens. Superiority of the representative - quality that is seen as being politically relevant (does not have to truly exist) - voters in uenced. Perception will count as much as reality.
