Political Representation in France and Germany

Description

Notwithstanding its contemporary critics, political representation remains at the core of democratic politics. Based on a comparative research project that gathered data from observations, surveys, experiments and expert interviews, this book examines the process and the quality of political representation in France and Germany from a dual perspective. First, it analyzes MPs’ behavior during their district activities. Second, it investigates the perceptions and evaluations of the represented, the French and German citizens. In ten chapters different facets of MPs’ activities as well as citizens’ attitudes are comparatively investigated. The book is relevant for Politics scholars and practitioners at national parliaments to better understand representative democracies, and it may also contribute to improve representation itself. Front Matter ....Pages i-xiv Introduction: Political Representation in France and Germany (Oscar W. Gabriel, Eric Kerrouche, Suzanne S. Schüttemeyer, Sven T. Siefken)....Pages 1-57 Parliament Centered or Constituency Centered? The Professionalization of the Parliamentary Mandate (Eric Kerrouche, Suzanne S. Schüttemeyer)....Pages 59-85 Available, Accessible and Ready to Listen: MPs’ District Work (Sven T. Siefken, Olivier Costa)....Pages 87-115 Where Is the Party? Party Work and Party Representation in the District (Elisa Deiss-Helbig, Danny Schindler, Laure Squarcioni)....Pages 117-139 Show or Substance? The Exchange Between District and Parliamentary Activities (Corentin Poyet, Sven T. Siefken)....Pages 141-164 Can You Hear Me? Political Communication Between MPs and Citizens (Luisa Schittny, Tinette Schnatterer)....Pages 165-195 “Oh, That Is a Big Word.” MPs’ and Citizens’ Perspectives on Parliamentary Representation (Mirjam Dageförde, Danny Schindler)....Pages 197-226 Substance or Behavior as Links? Explaining Representational Judgments (Mirjam Dageförde, Eric Kerrouche, Corentin Poyet)....Pages 227-245 Participation and Representation: Background and Beliefs of Activists and the Inactive (Oscar W. Gabriel)....Pages 247-277 Can We Trust Our Representatives? Attitudes Towards Representation and Political Trust (Oscar W. Gabriel, Lena Masch)....Pages 279-308 Do Candidates’ Ethnic Background and Gender Matter? An Experimental Approach (Sylvain Brouard, Elisa Deiss-Helbig, Mirjam Dageförde)....Pages 309-339 Some Conclusions on the Relationship Between Citizens and Their Representatives in France and Germany (Gerhard Loewenberg)....Pages 341-345 Back Matter ....Pages 347-350