Democracy, Accountability, and Representation

doi:10.1017/CBO9781139175104

This book examines whether the mechanisms of accountability characteristic of democratic systems are sufficient to induce the representatives to act in the best interest of the represented. The first part of the volume focuses on the role of elections, distinguishing different ways in which they may cause representation. The second part is devoted to the role of checks and balances, between the government and the parliament as well as between the government and the bureaucracy. The contributors of this volume, all leading scholars in the fields of American and comparative politics and political theory, address questions such as, whether elections induce governments to act in the interest of citizens. Are politicians in democracies accountable to voters in future elections? If so, does accountability induce politicians to represent citizens? Does accountability limit or enhance the scope of action of governments? Are governments that violate campaign mandates representative? Overall, the essays combine theoretical discussions, game-theoretic models, case studies, and statistical analyses, within a shared analytical approach and a standardized terminology. The empirical material is drawn from the well established democracies as well as from new democracies.

"In an introductory essay to Democracy, Accountability, and Representation, Przeworski, Stokes, and Manin helpfully lay out a set of definitions for thinking about mass-elite linkages." Comparative Politics, Andrew Roberts, The Quality of Democracy

- Aa Reduce text
- Aa Enlarge text

View selected items
Save to my bookmarks
Export citations
Download PDF (zip)
Save to Kindle
Save to Dropbox
Save to Google Drive
Save content to
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to .

To save content items to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Please be advised that item(s) you selected are not available.
You are about to save
Your Kindle email address

Please provide your Kindle email.

@free.kindle.com @kindle.com (service fees apply)

By using this service, you agree that you will only keep content for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing services

Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-vi
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

Contents
pp vii-viii
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

List of Contributors
pp ix-x
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

Introduction
pp 1-26
- By Bernard Manin, New York University, Adam Przeworski, New York University, Susan C. Stokes, University of Chicago
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

Part One - Elections, Accountability, and Representation
pp 27-28
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

1 - Elections and Representation
pp 29-54
- By Bernard Manin, New York University, Adam Przeworski, New York University, Susan C. Stokes, University of Chicago
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

2 - Electoral Accountability and the Control of Politicians: Selecting Good Types versus Sanctioning Poor Performance
pp 55-97
- By James D. Fearon, Stanford University
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

3 - What Do Policy Switches Tell Us about Democracy?
pp 98-130
- By Susan C. Stokes, University of Chicago
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

4 - Accountability and Authority: Toward a Theory of Political Accountability
pp 131-153
- By John Ferejohn, Stanford University
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

5 - Accountability and Manipulation
pp 154-196
- By José María Maravall, Universidad Complutense in Madrid
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

6 - Party Government and Responsiveness
pp 197-221
- By James A. Stimson, University of Minnesota
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

7 - Democracy, Elections, and Accountability for Economic Outcomes
pp 222-250
- By José Antonio Cheibub, University of Pennsylvania, Adam Przeworski, New York University
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

Part Two - The Structure of Government and Accountability
pp 251-252
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

8 - Accountability in Athenian Politics
pp 253-278
- By Jon Elster, Columbia University
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

9 - Government Accountability in Parliamentary Democracy
pp 279-296
- By Michael Laver, Trinity College, Dublin, Kenneth A. Shepsle, Harvard University
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

10 - Mixing Elected and Nonelected Officials in Democratic Policy Making: Fundamentals of Accountability and Responsibility
pp 297-326
- By Delmer D. Dunn, University of Georgia
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

Part Three - Overview
pp 327-328
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

11 - Situating Democratic Political Accountability
pp 329-344
- By John Dunn, Cambridge University
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

Author Index
pp 345-349
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

Subject Index
pp 350-351
- - You have access
- PDF
- Export citation

Metrics

Altmetric attention score

Total number of HTML views: 0

Total number of PDF views: 0 *

Loading metrics...

Total views: 0 *

Loading metrics...

* Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

Usage data cannot currently be displayed.

Why this information is here

This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.

Accessibility Information

Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this book is currently unknown and may be updated in the future.

Democracy, Accountability, and Representation

Book description

Reviews

Refine List

Actions for selected content:

Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-vi

Contents
pp vii-viii

List of Contributors
pp ix-x

Introduction
pp 1-26

Part One - Elections, Accountability, and Representation
pp 27-28

1 - Elections and Representation
pp 29-54

2 - Electoral Accountability and the Control of Politicians: Selecting Good Types versus Sanctioning Poor Performance
pp 55-97

3 - What Do Policy Switches Tell Us about Democracy?
pp 98-130

4 - Accountability and Authority: Toward a Theory of Political Accountability
pp 131-153

5 - Accountability and Manipulation
pp 154-196

6 - Party Government and Responsiveness
pp 197-221

7 - Democracy, Elections, and Accountability for Economic Outcomes
pp 222-250

Part Two - The Structure of Government and Accountability
pp 251-252

8 - Accountability in Athenian Politics
pp 253-278

9 - Government Accountability in Parliamentary Democracy
pp 279-296

10 - Mixing Elected and Nonelected Officials in Democratic Policy Making: Fundamentals of Accountability and Responsibility
pp 297-326

Part Three - Overview
pp 327-328

11 - Situating Democratic Political Accountability
pp 329-344

Author Index
pp 345-349

Subject Index
pp 350-351

Metrics

Altmetric attention score

Full text views

Book summary page views

Accessibility standard: Unknown

Why this information is here

Accessibility Information

Democracy, Accountability, and Representation

Book description

Reviews

Refine List

Actions for selected content:

Save Search

Contents

Metrics

Altmetric attention score

Full text views

Book summary page views

Accessibility standard: Unknown

Why this information is here

Accessibility Information