Talk:Political representation

Representation by area
This section could probably use a little work. The Nunavut example could probably be replaced with a better one - while expanding the riding would in theory present the various problems mentioned, the main point is that the riding contains the entire jurisdiction of Nunavut, and a federal riding would not today be designed to cover multiple jurisdictions. - David Oberst 19:05, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure Quebec, Alberta, Ontario, and BC are all now equally represented, but I could be wrong. (Excluding the senate, which wields no real power anyway.) 24.69.143.165 (talk) 09:46, 29 September 2009 (UTC)

Extensive Edit
Hello, fellow Wikipedians. I have decided to make a couple of significant edits to this article. I am making these edits - most of which will be original contributions - because I believe the article, as it stands, offers an incomplete account of the discourse on political representation. The article is right to say that, in general, political representation is thought to describe the activities of elected representatives in representative democracies; and is discussed in tandem with representative democracy. However, the discourse on political representation extends beyond representative democracy. In fact, more recent theorists of political representation like Andrew Rehfeld have argued that political representation can be and often is undemocratic. I aim to address this shortcoming of the article by de-emphasizing its focus on political representation as discussed in the context of representative democracy and re-orienting the article toward a more general account of the concept of political representation.

I also think the article should be called "Political Representation" because I think it's a more appropriate title since the article is, in fact, about "Political Representation". But I'll save that edit for last, in case the community thinks otherwise.

For a more detailed picture of what I mean to do here, please check out my sandbox for my edits and their justification. Don't hesitate to leave any tips/ criticism you think will be helpful. HaroldMDub (talk) 08:10, 16 April 2018 (UTC)

First, I have extended (largely changed) the definitional paragraph to reflect the nuance in the political literature on political representation. HaroldMDub (talk) 19:03, 16 April 2018 (UTC)

Second, I am deleting the following paragraph under Theories:

Scientific research addresses some of the preceding forms of representation, but it also distinguishes dyadic and collective forms, which are explained below[citation needed]. Scientific research has also identified several alternative "models" or alternative versions of how dyadic representation might come about, especially including instructed delegate, responsible party, and trustee ones. The goal of scientific research is to develop systematic theory that accounts for the character of collective and dyadic representation and, in the latter case, for the conditions under which these alternative models arise[citation needed].

Reason: The paragraph, in my opinion, is a misrepresentation of the discourse on political representation - the goal, if any, of "scientific research" is not to account for dyadic and collective representation. In any case, dyadic and collective representation don't, as far as I have seen, figure prominently in the theoretical literature on political representation.

Edit: I will replace this paragraph with two paragraphs summarizing Pitkin's views on representation. This is justified because Pitkin's views have been influential. HaroldMDub (talk)

Wiki Education assignment: Gender and Politics in Global Perspective
— Assignment last updated by A.lejla (talk) 19:19, 4 May 2023 (UTC)

Course notices
This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): HaroldMDub. Peer reviewers: Pntxpntx.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by Ken Gallager (talk) 12:32, 10 July 2024 (UTC) This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 22 August 2019 and 21 November 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Divingem12.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by Ken Gallager (talk) 12:32, 10 July 2024 (UTC)