POLITICAL REPRESENTATION: HISTORICAL SOURCES AND INSTITUTIONAL DETERMINANTS

Abstract

The article identifies historical sources for studying the phenomenon of political representation and its institutional determinants. The idea of political representation has been most developed in modern European philosophical and political thought. It is directly related to the formation of the institution of parliamentarism. The social contract theory became the basis of parliamentarism and representative democracy. It is the parliament that has long determined the institutional determinants of political representation, including parliamentary election patterns and political parties. In modern conditions, the institutions of mass media and public intellectuals also play an important role for political representation and representative democracy. Thanks to the Internet, the scale of citizens' participation in political communication, and therefore their political participation, has significantly expanded. The mass media institute creates conditions not only for informing citizens, but also for their interactive participation in the decision-making process of the bureaucracy. The role of the mass media institute during electoral campaigns is also ever grows. In the process of mediatization of politics, the institutional determinants of political representation are transformed – from opposition activities to political parties and parliaments. Mass media shape public opinion, determine the agenda, influence the interpretation of the public good and evaluate the activities of political actors.