The Crisis of Representative Democracy and Accountability of Power: A Conceptualisation Attempt Cover Image

Kryzys zasady przedstawicielstwa a odpowiedzialność władzy w demokracji. Próba konceptualizacji
The Crisis of Representative Democracy and Accountability of Power: A Conceptualisation Attempt

Author(s): Bartłomiej Nowotarski
Subject(s): Constitutional Law, Government/Political systems
Published by: Kancelaria Sejmu
Keywords: democracy; delegation of power; accountability of power

Summary/Abstract: The basic thesis of this essay is that the reasons for the erosion of representative democracy should always be sought in the weakness of accountability mechanisms in governance, because these mechanisms are an inherent part of the process of delegation of representative functions. Both processes take place in the same location, but they are oriented in opposite directions. Firstly, the vertical mechanism of this accountability is founded upon and runs directly along with the delegation of power relations and the mechanism of horizontal accountability of power arises from the multiplication of vertical chains, which gives democratic legitimacy to the authorities (veto-actors) of a horizontal sequence. This article is an attempt to conceptualize the notion of “accountability of power” in relation to the symptoms occurring in the world crisis of representative democracy .

  • Issue Year: 2014
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 11-28
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Polish
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