Repräsentation enträtselt oder immer noch „the Puzzle of Representation“? Entwicklungen und Lehren aus unterschiedlichen Forschungsstrategien

Abstract

[Representation is a key issue for understanding the structure of modern democracies and is regarded as being essential for any large-scale nation state. Hence the concept of representation is a well-studied research topic in political science. Evaluating the contemporary literature on empirical and theoretical research shows four main findings in this field of study: (1) Since the 1960s the theoretical and the empirical studies on representation remain largely distinct, with little cross-fertilization or even cross-reference. The empirical research operates with more or less isolated approaches, particularly the role theoretical analysis, the rational choice approach, and the measuring of citizen-representative congruence. Likewise, the theoretical research has little influence on the empirical findings with the exception of Hanna F. Pitkin's classic work. (2) In the last twenty years the theoretical research has received a more pragmatic impulse. Especially an increasing number of studies on descriptive representation are focused on the practicability of their findings. (3) Looking from an international perspective, the large and systematic body of research on representation in the United States dominates the field. Step by step German scholars adopted and ideated a wide range of approaches and methodologies in the last decades. However, the most recent rational choice approach is rarely applied. (4) Moreover, comparative research on political representation continues to be underdeveloped.]