A relação contingente entre representação e legitimidade democrática sob a perspecti va da sociedade civil

Abstract

The overall purpose of this paper is to present a review of the concept of political representation and its criteria of legitimacy from the perspective of civil society. The study is motivated by changes in the relations between State and society and the emergence of representative actors outside the electoral dynamics. It proposes to assess contemporary representation on the basis of a redefinition of three questions: who represents, what is represented and how representation occurs. This movement requires attention to the ways of inclusion of representatives, to the content to be represented, and to the possibility of accountability and responsiveness. Finally, the paper argues that the construction of a plural concept of representation must overcome the monistic concept of legitimacy focused on the sphere of the State and the electoral procedure. The relationship between representation and democratic legitimacy is contingent and constructed during the representative process.