The Future of Representative Democracy presents an integrated collection of contributions on the subject of representation, representative democracy and its future. Guided by the last major investigation of the subject by Hanna Fenichel Pitkin, over four decades ago, the volume addresses vital gaps in the relevant literature and stresses the importance of the past for the present and future of representative democracy. Aware of the pressing need for clarifying key concepts, the volume recognises the advantages of breaking down barriers among disciplines and establishing an interdisciplinary dialogue among scholars. Finally, the contributors agree that representative democracy and its future matters and that it is a subject of pressing scholarly concern and public importance. With a close eye on the unfinished, two-century-old relationship between democracy and representation, the volume develops fresh perspectives on the current problems of representative democracy and the possible future development of new forms of democratic representation.
John Keane’s co-edited book, The Future of Representative Democracy will be published in March 2011