Representation and accountability in deliberative democracy theory

Abstract

The first part of this paper reproduces some of the problems that the requirements of the principle of responsibility imply for a representative democratic system of government, with emphasis on the solution offered by the system of electoral accountability. The second part examines the solutions proposed by the model of deliberative democracy to these problems, identifying the relevant aspects of this theory. In particular, we study the deliberative model of Gutmann and Thompson, whose work has revived the interest for discussion and made a major contribution to political theory.