Political representation

Common card · No. 477305

In political science, political representation is a process in which one party acts in the making of public policy on behalf of another party. Views vary widely on what representing implies and on the duties of representatives. For example, representing may imply acting on the expressed wishes of citizens, or it may alternatively imply acting according to what the representatives themselves judge is in the best interests of citizens. Under the proportional representation system and some other theories, an elected representative is held to be accountable only to the voting block that elected them, and that every substantial voting block deserves to have representation. While under winner-take-all systems such as first-past-the-post voting, the member is said to represent all the residents in the district where he was elected. Representatives may be viewed as individuals who have been authorized to act on the behalf of others or may alternatively be viewed as being held to account by those...

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