Representation from Above: Members of Parliament and Representative Democracy in SwedenThis book uses Sweden as a test case to analyze how parliament and elected representatives function in a representative democracy. Despite the status of Scandinavian countries as perhaps the world's most egalitarian societies, the book argues that the best summary characterization of Swedish representative democracy is an elitist system run from above. The book also argues that an individualist representational model is relevant to the Swedish setting and most likely, to other settings as well. Representative democracy is not just party-based democracy - not even in a country with strong and disciplined parties. The book takes a broad approach to the study of political representation. It integrates into a single analytical framework concepts and theories from neighbouring traditions such as legislative behaviour, opinion formation and interest organizations. The study is based on a comprehensive set of data, including three surveys of the Members of the Swedish Parliament, corresponding voter surveys and content analysis of mass media and parliamentary records. |
Contents
Looking for Political Representation | 3 |
Who Gets There | 47 |
Representing Whom | 59 |
Copyright | |
14 other sections not shown
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Representation from Above: Members of Parliament and Representative ... Peter Esaiasson,Sören Holmberg No preview available - 2017 |
Common terms and phrases
according activities agenda agreement analysis areas average behavior bills Cabinet campaign candidates Center Chapter clear committees compared congruence Conservatives contacts correlation decisions definition democracy district effect election electorate elite example expected fact factors farmers further future given greater groups hold Holmberg important included increased indicate individual influence institutions interest interest organizations internal issues knowledge least left-right Legislative less Liberals long-term majority means measure occupational opinion organizations parliament parliamentary party Party Affiliation party groups party leaders pattern percent points political politicians position preferred Press principle priorities problems promote proportion question regards relation relatively repre representation representatives respectively Responsible Riksdag members role sector significant Social Democrats society strong Sweden Swedish Table tasks tend thinking tion variables various views voters Women