Democratic incongruities : representative democracy in Britain / David Judge.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Judge, David.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Representative government and representation--Great Britain.

Representative government and representation.

Great Britain.

Great Britain--Politics and government.

Politics and government.

Democracy--Great Britain.

Democracy.

Physical Description:

xi, 228 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Summary:

Representative democracy in Britain does not work. Or more accurately, its critics argue that it does not work as theories of representative democracy would lead us to expect. If the starting point for understanding is taken to be a 'standard model' of representative democracy, then that model does not get us very far. Yet it is precisely such a model that modern British governments continue to use to legitimate their actions.: Democratic Incongruities explains why the standard model is deficient, why recent 'reconceptualisations' of democracy and representation come with their own problems, and why theory and political practice have to address the 'inclusion-exclusion paradox' at the core of representative democracy. The fundamental question posed in this book is of the compatibility both ideationally and practically of representation with democracy. The answers are found in an examination of a series of 'problems' associated with this paradox in the context of British politics: of 'the people'; of the representational transmission of power; of elected representatives; of representative government (specifically the Westminster model); and of citizen participation. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Democratic Incongruities: Old Models and New Perspectives 1

1 The 'Problem' of the People 25

1 The 'Problem' of Representational Transmission of Power 47

1 The'Problem' of Elected Representatives 77

1 The 'Problem' of Representative Government 107

1 The 'Problem' of Citizen Participation 135

1 The 'Problem' of 'Post-': Post-Representative, Post-Parliamentary, Post-Democracy 172.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 195-222) and index.

ISBN:

9780230314467

0230314465

OCLC:

878065416