On 7 September 2024, Dario Castiglione (University of Exeter) presented the paper “What Does ‘Representative Ecology’ Do that ‘Deliberative Systems’ Don’t?” at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (APSA)in Philadelphia, USA.
The paper proposes an ecological understanding of political representation that integrates participation, deliberation, and identity formation. Castiglione challenges the conventional hierarchy that places deliberative systems above representative politics, arguing instead for a framework in which representation is understood as a dynamic and relational process, embedded in broader communicative and democratic ecosystems.
By drawing on constructivist and systemic approaches, the paper reconceptualises representation not merely as the act of speaking or acting on behalf of others, but as a process shaped by interactions among institutions, claim-makers, audiences, and identities. This perspective places democratic legitimacy at the intersection of representational and participatory practices.
The presentation aligns with REDIRECT’s theoretical ambitions and contributes to ongoing debates about how representation functions and evolves in complex democratic settings.
Date: 7 September 2024
Location: APSA Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, USA
Partner: University of Exeter (UNEXE)
Author and presenter: Dario Castiglione
Type of event: Conference / Theoretical contribution
#RepresentativeEcology #DeliberativeDemocracy #PoliticalTheory #REDIRECT #APSA2024