The Institutional Framework of Representative Democracy

Abstract

Although the literature shows a bewildering variety of typologies of representative democracy, the most important distinctions can be subsumed under a basic dichotomy with, on the one hand, a populist-majoritarian model, and on the other hand a liberal/consensual model. That latter model comes in two varieties: a liberal model based on the division of power, and a consensual model based on the sharing of power. The search for the best model is hampered by the fact that so many criteria are biased in favour of a particular model, and by the ambition to find a universally valid answer, ignoring the interaction of the institutional architecture with the structure and culture of society.

Authors 2

1. Rudy B. Andeweg Aachen Political Science

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Political Science, Leiden University

2. Tom Louwerse Aachen Political Science

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Political Science, Leiden University