Delegate model of representation

The delegate model of representation is a model of a representative democracy. In this model, constituents elect their representatives as delegates for their constituency. These delegates act only as a mouthpiece for the wishes of their constituency/state and have no autonomy from the constituency only the autonomy to vote for the actual representatives of the state. This model does not provide representatives the luxury of acting in their own conscience and is bound by imperative mandate. Essentially, the representative acts as the voice of those who are (literally) not present.

History

Irish philosopher Edmund Burke (1729–1797) contested this model and supported the alternative trustee model of representation.^[1]

The delegate model of representation is made use of in various forms of council democracy and commune democracy. Models of democratic rule making extensive use of the delegate model of representation are often labeled "delegative democracy".^[2]^[3] However, the merging of these two terms is criticized as misleading.^[4]

References

^ Burke, Edmund. 1774. Speech to the electors of Bristol in The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke. Vol. II. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press (1906).
^ Cammaerts, Bart (2019). "Revalidating Participation: Power and Pre-Figurative Politics within contemporary Left-wing Movements". In Carpentier, Nico (ed.). Respublika! : experiments in the performance of participation and democracy. Cyprus: NeMe. p. 131. ISBN 978-9963-9695-8-6. OCLC 1088563137.
^ Held, David (2019). "Democracy: From City-states to a Cosmopolitan Order". Contemporary political philosophy : an anthology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ. p. 641. ISBN 978-1-119-15417-4. OCLC 1084627545.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Kestler, Thomas (2011). "Demokratische Dilemmata: Zum Verhältnis zwischen Repräsentation und Partizipation". Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft. 21 (3): 24. doi:10.5771/1430-6387-2011-3-391. ISSN 1430-6387.