On 21 March 2024, Luca Verzichelli (University of Siena) delivered a presentation at the University of Exeter titled “Empirical Dimension of Political Representation. What We Learned from the Surveys and What We Neglected.”
The talk provided a first assessment of insights emerging from the analysis of mass-elite surveys conducted across democratic countries from the late 1960s to the present. Drawing on REDIRECT’s data infrastructure, Verzichelli discussed the evolution of key indicators used to study political representation, including trust, responsiveness, and role perceptions among elected officials.
The presentation also identified recurring gaps in the way representation has been measured over time, highlighting the need for more integrated and comparative approaches. These reflections form a core part of REDIRECT’s ambition to refine the empirical tools used to capture the changing dynamics of representation in contemporary democracies.
Hosted by the University of Exeter, the event created space for scholarly exchange on methodological issues and helped connect REDIRECT’s empirical agenda to a wider academic community focused on democratic governance and political behaviour.
Date: 21 March 2024
Location: University of Exeter, UK
Partner: University of Siena (UNISI)
Participant: Luca Verzichelli
Type of event: Research seminar / Methodological reflection
#PoliticalRepresentation #SurveyData #MassEliteSurveys #REDIRECT #Exeter