On 7 September 2024, Dario Castiglione (University of Oslo) presented the paper “The Representation–Deliberation Nexus” at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (APSA) in Philadelphia, USA.
The paper explores the complex and context-dependent relationship between political representation and deliberation in democratic systems. Castiglione distinguishes between two key modes of interaction: deliberation over representation, which occurs in exceptional moments such as constitution-making, and deliberation in representation, which takes place within the ordinary functioning of representative institutions.
The argument underscores that while deliberation and representation are often treated as separate or competing models of democracy, they are in fact mutually reinforcing – though their interaction varies depending on institutional design, democratic culture, and political context. The paper proposes a framework for analysing these intersections and for understanding how the deliberative quality of representative politics can be enhanced without displacing its core functions.
This theoretical intervention contributes to REDIRECT’s broader effort to revisit foundational concepts in democratic theory and to develop tools for analysing how legitimacy is constructed in practice.
Date: 7 September 2024
Location: APSA Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, USA
Partner: University of Oslo (UiO)
Author and presenter: John Erik Fossum
Type of event: Conference
#Representation #Deliberation #DemocraticTheory #REDIRECT #APSA2024