The Philosophy of Representative Democracy Kopie 1

A classic problem in democratic thought pertains to the justification of democracy: Why, if at all, is democratic governance desirable? But the practice of democracy, and representative democracy in particular, raises other intriguing questions, too. What does it mean for elected officials to represent voters or the people? What exactly do citizens do when they exercise voting rights, and what is the function of elections? How might one best design the electoral system? Should disadvantaged groups be afforded reserved seats in parliament? What, if any, is the normative function of political parties in a system of representative government? 

This course engages with these and related questions, surveying recent work in anglophone, democratic theory. The course opens with a broad survey of different conceptions and justifications of democracy after which it turns to a number of more particular issues in democratic theory. In particular, this second part looks at debates about the proper delimitation of the demos, about the nature of the right to vote, the function of elections, and it examines the recent controversy on obligatory voting. Further themes covered include the ethics of electoral systems design, the nature of representation, the function of political parties, and the promise of sortition as a form of non-electoral representation.