THE PHILOSOPHICAL ACCOUNT OF POLITICAL REPRESENTATION

Abstract

Political representation is one of the most prominent political events that takes place in most democratic societies. It is eventful not only because of its prominence, but also because of the philosophy behind it, as well as the stakes involved in it. This paper examined the thoughts that brought to fore the idea of political representation. It relied exclusively on secondary sources of data. The paper argued that political representation is philosophically anchored on the growth in population of modern states; the sophistication of modern democratic institutions; the educational and experience requirements for representation, as well as the diverse nature of most modern states. In addition, the need for inclusion as well as protection of the rights of vulnerable groups in the society is also an issue which political representation sought to promote. Accordingly, the paper advanced that political representation has philosophically evolved into formal and informal aspects. While the formal aspect deals with representatives that operate the machinery of government, the latter constitute the voluntary realm, chiefly spearheaded by civil society organizations. In the arena of government, the paper notes that representatives are usually selected through elections or appointments. In the voluntary realm however, representatives emerge on the basis of volition or recruitment. The paper therefore, concludes that, the burden of representation is anchored on the idea of accountability. Thus, any form of representation that is not accountable to the people is counter-productive and ridicules the philosophical bases upon which representation is cast.