Deliberation and Representation

Questions of representation arise with regard to the authority, legitimacy, and demographic makeup of deliberative bodies of all kinds. In contrast to an earlier focus on state institutions, recent research on representation examines both elected and unelected representatives in a wide range of local, regional, and transnational arenas. Potential constituencies include not just the voters of territorially defined states, but also nonvoters, undocumented immigrants, people in other countries, children, future generations, and nonhumans. This chapter first briefly sketches selected aspects of the historical relation between representation, deliberation, and democracy. It then examines some of the ways that deliberative theorists have taken up questions of representation with regard to representative thinking, social perspectives, and minipublics. The chapter then discusses systemic and constructivist approaches to representation, focusing on their implications for collective identity, democratic legitimacy, and the relation between political theory and politics.