The Concept of Constituency

Political Representation, Democratic Legitimacy, and Institutional Design

Bibliographic Data

ID6320128
AuthorsSuzanne Dovi (0000-0002-0637-6805, University of Arizona, corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume4
Issue4
Pages763-764
Publication date2006-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePerspectives on Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1537-5927 • E-ISSN: 1541-0986
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1537592706370478
OpenAlexW2146571259
LanguageEN
Citations received6

The Concept of Constituency: Political Representation, Democratic Legitimacy, and Institutional Design. By Andrew Rehfeld. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 280p. $75.00. Most democratic theorists do not spend much time defining, let alone discussing, the concept of constituency. They assume that what is crucial to democratic institutions is the manner in which votes are distributed (equally and justly), not how democratic institutions define and draw electoral constituencies. Andrew Rehfeld's insightful and important book challenges these assumptions. For Rehfeld, democratic theorists need to think about constituency because constituencies are “the quintessential institution of official exclusion”: How democratic institutions define constituencies determines whose interests are catered to and whose interests are ignored

Democracy · Democratic ideals · Democratic legitimacy · Institution · Legitimacy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Representation (politics · Sociology · Law · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Public Administration

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