What is the difference between a delegate and a trustee model of representation?

On the delegate model a representative is bound to act as their constituents instruct, while on the trustee model the representative uses independent judgement to act in constituents' best interests, even against their expressed wishes.

Representation and Participation

This topic examines what it is for one person to represent others politically and what role direct citizen participation should play in a democracy.

Definition

Political representation is the activity of making citizens' voices, opinions, and interests 'present' in public decision-making; participation is citizens' direct involvement in collective decision-making beyond merely electing representatives.

Scope

Covers conceptions of political representation (the trustee-delegate distinction, descriptive and substantive representation), participatory democratic theory and its critique of minimalist 'elite' democracy, and questions of inclusion and the representation of marginalized groups. Electoral mechanics are noted only as they bear on these questions.

Core questions

What does it mean for a representative to represent the represented?
Should representatives act as delegates of constituents' wishes or as trustees of their interests?
Does democracy require active citizen participation, or only competitive elections?
How should the perspectives of marginalized groups be included?

Key concepts

the trustee-delegate distinction
descriptive representation
substantive representation
participatory democracy
the educative effect of participation
group representation
inclusion

Key theories

Conceptions of representation: Pitkin distinguishes formalistic, descriptive, symbolic, and substantive ('acting for') views of representation, arguing that representation is centrally a matter of acting in the interest of the represented in a responsive way.
Participatory democracy: Pateman criticizes the minimalist, elite model of democracy and argues that participation in decision-making — including in the workplace — has an educative effect that develops the civic capacities democracy presupposes.
Inclusive representation: Young argues that democratic inclusion requires representing the distinct social perspectives of structurally disadvantaged groups, and broadens deliberation to include modes such as greeting, rhetoric, and narrative.

History

Debate over whether representatives are delegates or trustees goes back to Burke's Bristol speech (1774). Pitkin's The Concept of Representation (1967) provided the modern analytic framework, while Pateman (1970) revived participatory ideals against mid-century elite theories, and Young (2000) extended the agenda to the inclusion of marginalized groups.

Debates

Delegate vs. trustee: Whether a representative should faithfully transmit constituents' expressed wishes (delegate) or exercise independent judgement about their interests (trustee), a tension Pitkin analyses as the 'mandate-independence' controversy.
How much participation?: Whether democracy requires extensive direct participation for its legitimacy and civic benefits, as Pateman argues, or whether competitive elections among elites suffice.

Key figures

Hanna Pitkin
Carole Pateman
Iris Marion Young
Edmund Burke

Seminal works

pitkin1967
pateman1970
young2000

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a delegate and a trustee model of representation?: On the delegate model a representative is bound to act as their constituents instruct, while on the trustee model the representative uses independent judgement to act in constituents' best interests, even against their expressed wishes.